CYCLISTS from Norway

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Norwegian Cyclists of all time. This list of famous Norwegian Cyclists is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Norwegian Cyclists.

1. Knut Knudsen (b. 1950)

With an HPI of 46.12, Knut Knudsen is the most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages on wikipedia.

Knut Knudsen (born 12 October 1950) is a retired Norwegian road and track cyclist. As an amateur, he placed fifth in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1968 Olympics before becoming Olympic champion in the same discipline in 1972. He would follow this up with another gold at the 1973 World Championships. At the 1972 Olympics he also placed fifth in the 100 km team time trial on the road. He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 1972 and 1973. In 1974 he turned professional and cycled in Italy until 1981. He won six stages of the Giro d'Italia and wore the Maglia Rosa leader's jersey twice, becoming the first Norwegian to do so and the only wearer until Andreas Leknessund managed the same feat some 42 years after Knudsen last held it. The first time he held the pink leader jersey was for two stages after winning Stage 1 of the 1975 Giro d'Italia on 17 May, Norway's constitution day. In 1981 he could once again put on the pink jersey after winning the prologue. After finishing second in the race three times, Knudsen won Tirreno–Adriatico in 1979. He was chosen the world's best time trial cyclist by two biggest sporting magazines from 1979 to 1981. In total he won 49 professional races.

2. Thor Hushovd (b. 1978)

With an HPI of 44.13, Thor Hushovd is the 2nd most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 35 different languages.

Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer. He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian national road race champion (2004, 2010, 2013), and was the winner of the 2010 World Road Race Championships. He was the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road race in cycling world road championship. He is also the Scandinavian with the most stage wins in Grand Tours. He is widely considered the greatest Norwegian cyclist of all time. He retired in September 2014.

3. Dag Otto Lauritzen (b. 1956)

With an HPI of 41.50, Dag Otto Lauritzen is the 3rd most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Dag Otto Lauritzen (born 13 September 1956) is a Norwegian television personality and retired professional cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he won a bronze medal in the individual road race. He was the first Norwegian to win a stage of the Tour de France, which he did on Bastille Day in 1987 at Luz Ardiden. Over his career he rode the Tour de France eight times. Lauritzen began cycling to recuperate from a military parachuting injury, and switched careers from police officer to cyclist. He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championship in 1984 and the Norwegian National Time Trial Championship in 1990. He is now a cycling commentator on Norwegian TV station TV 2.

4. Kurt Asle Arvesen (b. 1975)

With an HPI of 39.68, Kurt Asle Arvesen is the 4th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Kurt Asle Arvesen (born 9 February 1975) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2011. Arvesen is from Eresfjord, Nesset. He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships five times, as well as stages in each of the three Grand Tours. After retiring as a rider, Arvesen became a coach with Team Sky. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI ProTeam Uno-X Mobility.

5. Alexander Kristoff (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 38.72, Alexander Kristoff is the 5th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 32 different languages.

Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI ProTeam Uno-X Mobility. A sprinter and classics rider, Kristoff is the most successful Norwegian cyclist by number of wins, having taken almost 100 victories during his professional career. He has won four Tour de France stages, the 2014 Milan–San Remo and 2015 Tour of Flanders one-day races – as a result, becoming the only Norwegian rider, as of 2024, to win a cycling monument – and has won medals in the road race at the Olympic Games (2012; bronze), the UCI Road World Championships (2017; silver), and the European Road Cycling Championships (2017; gold). He also holds the record for most wins at the one-day races Eschborn–Frankfurt (four) and the Grand Prix of Aargau Canton (three), and most stage wins at the Tour of Oman (nine), the Tour of Norway (eleven), and the Arctic Race of Norway (seven).

6. Edvald Boasson Hagen (b. 1987)

With an HPI of 37.88, Edvald Boasson Hagen is the 6th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 17 May 1987) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale. He was ranked as no. 3 in the world by UCI as of 31 August 2009, when he was 22 years old. He is known as an all-rounder, having won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 2012, 2015 and 2016. He is also a ten-time winner of the Norwegian National Time Trial Championships.

7. Gabriel Rasch (b. 1976)

With an HPI of 34.16, Gabriel Rasch is the 7th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Ole Gabriel Rasch (born 8 April 1976) is a Norwegian former road bicycle racer, who currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers.

8. Tobias Foss (b. 1997)

With an HPI of 31.36, Tobias Foss is the 8th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Tobias Svendsen Foss (born 25 May 1997 in Vingrom) is a Norwegian cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Ineos Grenadiers.

9. Vegard Stake Laengen (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 28.53, Vegard Stake Laengen is the 9th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Vegard Stake Laengen (born 7 February 1989) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam UAE Team Emirates.

10. Tobias Halland Johannessen (b. 1999)

With an HPI of 27.43, Tobias Halland Johannessen is the 10th most famous Norwegian Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Tobias Halland Johannessen (born 23 August 1999) is a Norwegian road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Uno-X Mobility. Along with his twin brother Anders, Tobias raced in mountain biking, cyclo-cross and road cycling, before deciding to focus primarily on road racing. Knee injuries had kept him from competing in much of the truncated 2020 season. In July 2021 he named to the Norwegian team to compete in the road race event at the 2020 Summer Olympics.