Who has won the most Tour de France titles? Top five most successful riders & overall winners countrywise
The Tour de France kicked off in Copenhagen, Denmark on July 1, with back-to-back winner Tadej Pogacar looking to cement his place among the all-time great cyclists despite being just 23 years old.
However, the Slovenian will have to chase a third General Classification win once again next year after Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard overtook him in a thrilling battle for the yellow jersey.
Vingegaard was crowned the winner for the first time in Paris on July 24. Here, we take a look at the archives to see which riders have won the Tour de France the most times throughout its history.
Who has the most wins in Tour de France history?
Jacques Anquetil (5 times)
Taking his first title in 1957, Frenchman Jacques Anquetil claim further victories in 1961, 1962, 1963 and 1964 to bring his total of Tour de France wins to five throughout his career. That tally means that, along with the next three individuals on this list, Anquetil has the most Tour wins of any rider in the competition’s history.
Nicknamed ‘Monsieur Chrono’ due to his exceptional ability to win individual time trial stages in particular, Anquetil is considered the greatest cyclist of his generation, having also taken victories at the Vuelta a España in 1963 and twice at the Giro d’Italia. in 1960 and 1964.
Eddy Merckx (5 times)
When you’re a rider nicknamed ‘The Cannibal’, chances are you’re someone the rest of the peloton fears. Eddy Merckx, who won five titles between 1969 and 1974, is undoubtedly one of the best cyclists this competition has ever seen.
The Belgian also won the Giro d’Italia five times and the Vuelta a España once throughout a brilliant and dominant career, meaning he has the most Grand Tour wins of any rider in the history of the sport. . Overall, he had 525 wins throughout his 18-year career.
Bernard Hinault (5 times)
The second Frenchman on this list, Bernard Hinault, also won five Tour de France titles, between 1978 and 1985.
In fact, throughout his 11-year career, Hinault took part in a total of 13 Grand Tours, winning 10 of them and finishing second in another two. Like his talented peers on this list, the Briton-born cyclist also had a nickname: he was known as ‘The Badger’ due to his aggressive nature on the bike which often saw him lead the pack during most races in which took part.
Miguel Indurain (5 times)
Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain is the fourth and last cyclist to have won five Tour de France titles throughout his career and the only man in history to have won all five in a row.
Those victories came between 1991 and 1995 when he dominated the cycling world thanks to his ability and physical size. He also won the Giro d’Italia twice and is one of only seven riders in the sport’s history to achieve the Giro-Tour double in the same season.
Chris Froome (4 times)
With four Tour de France titles to his name, British rider Chris Froome will again be looking to claim glory at the 2022 edition of this event, although a fifth success looks like a long shot after his career nearly ended with a crash at the Criterium du Dauphine. of 2019.
Now 37, Froome may not be at the peak of his powers that made him the most successful Tour rider of the 21st century, though he remains optimistic he still has a long future in the sport. . A two-time Vuelta champion and Giro winner in 2018, Froome also finished second to teammate Bradley Wiggins during the 2012 Tour de France and has two Olympic medals in his trophy case after taking home bronze in the 2012 and 2016 time trials.
List of most successful Tour de France riders
| Cyclist | Total wins | Years won |
| Jacques Anquetil | 5 | 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 |
| Eddy Merckx | 5 | 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 |
| Bernard Hinault | 5 | 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985 |
| Miguel Indurain | 5 | 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 |
| Chris Froome | 4 | 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017 |
| Philippe Thys | 3 | 1913, 1914, 1920 |
| Louison Bobet | 3 | 1953, 1954, 1955 |
| Greg LeMond | 3 | 1986, 1989, 1990 |
List of overall winners countrywise
| Country | No. of wins |
| France | 36 |
| Belgium | 18 |
| Spain | 12 |
| Italy | 10 |
| Great Britain | 6 |
| Luxembourg | 5 |
| United States | 3 |
| Switzerland | 2 |
| Netherlands | 2 |
| Slovenia | 2 |
| Republic of Ireland | 1 |
| Denmark | 1 |
| Germany | 1 |
| Australia | 1 |
| Colombia | 1 |
Why is Lance Armstrong not on the list of Tour de France winners?
Despite winning the Tour de France a record seven times between 1999 and 2005, American cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his victories due to a serious breach of doping regulations.
