The Most Famous

CYCLISTS from South Africa

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This page contains a list of the greatest South African Cyclists. The pantheon dataset contains 1,613 Cyclists, 11 of which were born in South Africa. This makes South Africa the birth place of the 24th most number of Cyclists behind Lithuania, and Estonia.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary South African Cyclists of all time. This list of famous South African 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 South African Cyclists.

Photo of Rudolph Lewis

1. Rudolph Lewis (1887 - 1933)

With an HPI of 49.73, Rudolph Lewis is the most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Rudolph Ludewyk "Okey" Lewis (12 July 1887 – 29 October 1933) was a South African road racing cyclist who won the gold medal in the road race at the 1912 Summer Olympics.Lewis was born on a farm near Pretoria and grew up in Germiston. He worked full-time underground at a gold mine, and in spare time trained in cycling, boxing and skating. After the 1912 Olympics he raced professionally in Germany in 1913–14, and won the classic race Rund um Dresden in 1914. During World War I, he served in the German Army and was awarded the Iron Cross. His health deteriorated as a result of war injuries and time spent in a prison camp, which resulted in his early death at age 46.

Photo of Thomas Shardelow

2. Thomas Shardelow (1931 - 2019)

With an HPI of 41.92, Thomas Shardelow is the 2nd most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Thomas Shardelow (11 November 1931 – 3 July 2019) was a South African cyclist. He competed at the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics. At the 1952 Olympics, he won silver medals in the 4,000 metres team pursuit and 2,000 metres tandem events.

Photo of Robert Fowler

3. Robert Fowler (1931 - 2001)

With an HPI of 41.91, Robert Fowler is the 3rd most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Robert Fowler (7 April 1931 – 27 December 2001) was a South African cyclist. He competed at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Summer Olympics. At the 1952 Olympics, he won a silver medal in the 4,000 metres team pursuit event.

Photo of Alfred Swift

4. Alfred Swift (1931 - 2009)

With an HPI of 41.10, Alfred Swift is the 4th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.

Alfred James Swift (25 June 1931 – 13 April 2009) was a South African Olympic athlete and cyclist. Swift was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa on 25 June 1931. He was awarded provincial colours for Natal (Kwazulu Natal) and then later for Transvaal (Gauteng). He was awarded his springbok colours in 1952 and competed at two Olympic games, 1952 in Helsinki and 1956 in Melbourne. He also captained the South African Team to the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. He won a silver (4,000m Team Pursuit Men 1952) and bronze medal (1,000m Time Trial Men 1956) at the games. He went to two British Empire & Commonwealth Games, 1954 in Vancouver, Canada, and 1958 in Cardiff, Wales. He won gold (Time Trial) at the 1954 British Empire and Commonwealth Games. He was one of only three athletes (of all types) to win South Africa's highest honour, the Shield of Jove. He gave back to his sport by serving and being president of South African Cycling Federation and was one of the creators of the Rapport Tour (South Africa's Tour de France). Swift died on 13 April 2009 in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Photo of Daryl Impey

5. Daryl Impey (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 36.31, Daryl Impey is the 5th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Daryl Impey (born 6 December 1984) is a South African former professional road cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2008 to 2023. Impey is an all-rounder; he generally comes to the fore on tough uphill sprints.Impey is a two-time winner of the Tour Down Under, and the only rider to have won the race in consecutive years, winning in 2018, and 2019. He has won the South African National Road Race Championships twice, and is a nine-time winner of the South African National Time Trial Championships, including eight consecutive titles between 2013 and 2020. In 2013, Impey became the first African rider to wear the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, doing so for two days; six years later, he won his first individual stage at the race, winning the ninth stage in Brioude.

Photo of Burry Stander

6. Burry Stander (1987 - 2013)

With an HPI of 34.00, Burry Stander is the 6th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Burry Willie Stander (16 September 1987 – 3 January 2013) was a South African mountain biker, the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup under-23 men's cross-country 2009 world champion. In the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, Stander finished 15th in the cross-country mountain bike race. In the 2012 Summer Olympics, held in London, Stander finished 5th in the cross-country mountain bike race. Stander paired up with Christoph Sauser in 2009 for the Absa Cape Epic. Although the team only managed 6th place that year, they then came back in 2010 to claim 2nd place. Finally in 2011 Stander and Sauser finished in 1st place, making Stander the first South African rider to win the Absa Cape Epic. In 2012 the team were victorious once again, winning the Prologue and four of the seven stages of the marathon stage race. Stander died on 3 January 2013 after being hit by a taxibus while finishing a training ride and returning to his Concept Cyclery Shop in South Africa. The KwaZulu-Natal minibus taxi driver who struck Stander down was convicted of culpable homicide on 17 April 2015 at the Port Shepstone Magistrates Court, and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Photo of Robbie Hunter

7. Robbie Hunter (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 32.38, Robbie Hunter is the 7th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Robert "Robbie" Hunter (born 22 April 1977) is a retired South African professional road racing cyclist who competed professionally between 1999 and 2013. Hunter competed with UCI ProTeam Garmin–Sharp during his final professional season.

Photo of Reinardt Janse van Rensburg

8. Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 30.30, Reinardt Janse van Rensburg is the 8th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (born 3 February 1989) is a South African professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team China Glory–Mentech Continental Cycling Team. A two-time winner of the South African National Road Race Championships, Janse van Rensburg has competed professionally since 2010, having rode for Giant–Shimano (2013–2014), Team Qhubeka NextHash (2010–2012 and 2015–2021), and Lotto–Soudal (2022).

Photo of Louis Meintjes

9. Louis Meintjes (b. 1992)

With an HPI of 29.86, Louis Meintjes is the 9th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Louis Meintjes (born 21 February 1992) is a South African cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Intermarché–Wanty. He won the South African National Road Race Championships in 2014, and has finished 8th overall in the Tour de France, on 3 occasions in 2016, 2017 and 2022. He has also finished 10th overall at the 2015 Vuelta a España, and won a stage at the 2022 Vuelta a España.

Photo of Greg Minnaar

10. Greg Minnaar (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 28.72, Greg Minnaar is the 10th most famous South African Cyclist.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Greg Minnaar (born 13 November 1981) is a South African World Champion mountain bike racer competing in downhill cycling. He has won four world championships, the second most amongst still active racers, and third all time behind Nicolas Vouilloz's seven titles. He currently competes in the UCI Downhill MTB World Cup. Minnaar has the most men's world cup wins, with 23 career victories. He rode with the Santa Cruz Syndicate team until the end of the 2023 season.

People

Pantheon has 14 people classified as South African cyclists born between 1887 and 1995. Of these 14, 8 (57.14%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living South African cyclists include Daryl Impey, Robbie Hunter, and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg. The most famous deceased South African cyclists include Rudolph Lewis, Thomas Shardelow, and Robert Fowler. As of April 2024, 3 new South African cyclists have been added to Pantheon including Robert Fowler, Alfred Swift, and Ashleigh Moolman Pasio.

Living South African Cyclists

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Deceased South African Cyclists

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Newly Added South African Cyclists (2024)

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Overlapping Lives

Which Cyclists were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Cyclists since 1700.