Ranking! Who are the 20 best cyclists in the world right now?

Cycling is an activity enjoyed by all ages, as it is considered fun, affordable and satisfying. This makes professional cycling one of the most popular sports in the world. With that in mind, who are the best cyclists in the world in 2022? This article ranks those that are in the top 20.

While most cycling enthusiasts might consider themselves to have ridden in an amateur cycling event at some point, it takes an incredible feat to professionally compete for years on end and make it to the top of the world ranking. Throughout the article, we feature athletes with immense body-to-weight ratios who specialize in soaring at great speeds on their bikes and are considered by many as the world's best cyclists of all time.

Who are the best cyclists in the world in 2022?

Based on 2022's rankings, we have compiled a list of 20 of the world's best cyclists in the world:

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20. Alexander Kristoff

Starting the list is Alexander Kristoff, a Norwegian star who rides for the UCI world team Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux. He started cycling at the tender age of six, turned pro at 19 in 2006 and has enjoyed numerous successes, which include the Norwegian National Road Race Championships twice (2007 and 2011), and the 2014 Milan San Remo and 2015 Tour of Flanders- with the latter being two of her biggest wins so far.

19. Alejandro Valverde Belmonte

Though he retired at the end of the 2022 season, the latest ranking still includes this Spanish legend, otherwise known as The Bullet. In an illustrious professional career that lasted 20 years, Alejandro Valverde Belmonte had 133 wins and held the record for the most medals at the world's championships.

18. Christophe Laporte

Since this 29-year French joined Jumbo Visma, one of the most powerful cycling teams in the world, earlier this year, he has been the talk of everyone. Where most believe he might be the next big thing. His most famous and probably the biggest yet was on stage 19 of Tour De France- the Cahors earlier this year.

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17. Sergio Andrés Higuita Garcia

At 25 and less than seven years since turning pro, this Colombian international has already garnered worldwide attention and is constantly performing performances that rival veterans. Despite his age, he already has a couple of wins under his belt, the most famous being in 2018, where he won the Manizales stage of the Tour of Colombia (Vuelta a Colombia) and finished fifth overall in the tour.

16. Pello Bilbao López De Armentia

Bilbao, 32, is a Spanish international who rides for the UCI team Baharain Victorious. Since joining the Baharain-based club, he has gained widespread notoriety for his performances. The most notable ones include the 2019 Tour of Italy (Giro d'Italia), where he won two stages and finished fifth overall.

15. Geraint Thomas

This Welsh international is among the few riders in the modern era to achieve elite success on the track, the road, one day and in stage racing. In the tracking events, he has won three World Championships; 2007, 2008 and 2012, and two Olympic gold Medals; in 2008 and 2012, while on the road, he was the 2018 Tour De France winner.

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14. Daniel Felipe Martínez Poveda

This 26-year-old humble Colombian star has been the talk of almost cycling fans due to his exemplary performance of late. Earlier this year, he won the Tour of Basque County in France and came third in the Paris- Nice World Tour. His most prolific win was in 2020, when he won the thirteenth stage of the Tour De France.

13. Mads Pedersen

Pedersen turned pro at age 19 in 2014, and by the time he was 23, he became the first Danish cyclist to win a men's world championship race title when he won the 2019 UCI Road World Championship in Yorkshire. In June this year, he won the thirteenth stage of Tour De France.

12. Michael Matthews

In July this year, Michael Matthews returned to the spotlight when he won the fourteenth stage of the Tour De France. This is five years after the Australian international's major victory on French soil. Outside France, Mathews is a world-class cycling with an impeccable record that is second to none.

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11. Enric Mas Nicolau

Fresh out of winning Giro dell' Emilia, Enric is a Spanish 27-year-old cyclist who has constantly featured in the top ten on most major world tour stages since he started competing in 2017.

10. Stefan Küng

Since the beginning of the year, this Swiss international has been putting up spectacular performances on track and road events. In September, he came in second at the Men's trial event of the 2022 UCI Road World Championship and was also part of the Swiss national team that won the mixed relay team event.

9. Richard António Carapaz Montenegro

In 2019, Carapaz won the Giro d'Italia and became the first Ecuadorian to win it. The following year in 2020, he won a gold medal at the Summer Olympics, becoming the first Ecuadorian cyclist again to win a gold medal and the second athlete from his country to a gold medal at any Olympic event. By doing so, he became the first cyclist to win an Olympic Gold medal and a podium finish in the three Grand Tours.

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8. Mathieu Van Der Poel

Often nicknamed the Flying Dutchman, Mathieu Van Der Poel comes from a long line of legendary cyclists. His maternal grandfather, father and older brother were all legends in track and road races. He, on his part, is famous for his dominance at the Cyclo-cross World Championship events.

His career might be young, but this 25-year-old earned his stripes on track and road events. Coming from an injury that saw his performance go down, this year, he was able to reclaim his spot at the top again when he won the first stage in the Giro d'Italia.

7. Primož Roglič

Primož Roglič is a true definition of defiance, overcoming all odds to attain your goals. That is why he has somewhat attained demi-god-like status in his home country. He started as a Ski jumper, and in 2007 after a career-shuttering accident, he found himself cycling.

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Between 2019 and 2021, this 33-year-old Slovenian spent 75 weeks ranked as the No.1 cyclist in the UCI men's road racing world ranking. Earlier this year, he won the Paris-Nice stage race and the first stage of the Vuelta a España, a Grand tour that he won the general classification in 2019, becoming the first Slovenian to win a grand tour.

6. Jai Hindley

This 26-year-old Australian star is a force to reckon with, from making his Debut In 2018 to winning his first grand tour title in 2022 in 4 years. He became the first Australian to win the Giro d'Italia and the second person from his country to win a Grand Tour.

5. Aleksandr Vlasov

Another young cyclist that has the attention of everyone is Aleksandr VLASOV, a 26-year-old Russian star. Despite his relatively short career, he has managed to have a podium finish in some major track and road events in the last couple of years. Last year he won the Russian Time Trial championship and finished second overall in the Paris-Nice event, and this year he finished fifth overall in the Tour De France.

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4. Jonas Vingegaard Rasmussen

With a short professional career spanning seven years, this 25-year-old Danish star has reached the epitome of success in the cycling world. Last year he finished second overall in the Tour De France, the most prestigious cycling event in the world. This year, he won it with a podium finish in other major European cycling events.

3. Remco Evenepoel

For Someone who is born at the turn of the century, and has a professional career of five years, Remco Evenepoel, a 22-year-old Belgian, has been to cultivate his name in the cycling world through sheer talent. He is currently the 2022 UCI World Road Race Champion and 2022 Vuelta a España Champion, two of some of the most coveted cycling events in the world.

For him, cycling runs in the family. His Father, Patrick Evenepoel, was a professional cyclist who won the 1993 Grand Prix de Wallonie.

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2. Wout Van Aert

Coming from a long line of successful professional athletes, Wout Van Aert, a 28-year-old Belgium star, is one of this generation's most highly spirited athletes. He has succeeded in major track and road events worldwide, including Tour De France, where he has won nine individual stages in the past three years. This year, he won the green Jersey of classification points and the Combativity award.

1. Tadej Pogačar

When it comes to cycling, this 24-year-old reigns supreme and is the best young cyclist in the world. The list of records broken and accolades won by this Slovenian star in his short career is unfathomable.

In 2019 at the age of 20, he became the youngest cyclist to win a UCI World Tour. Later that year, he won three stages in the Vuelta a España. The following year, when he made his Tour De France debut, he won three stages and took the championship title. The following year in 2021, he won the Tour De France again and Won an Olympic bronze medal, becoming the first player to win two consecutive Tour De France in forty years.

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Who is the best cyclist in the world of all time?

Due to its extreme endurance, speed, balance and motivation, cycling is considered one of the most challenging sports. This is why making it to the top is a great feat. However, the athletes below have earned the title of the best of all time due to the accomplishments and consistency that lasted their entire careers:

Which country has the best cyclists?

Below is a list of the top ten national cycling teams according to the latest ranking.

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What is the best cycling team in the world?

Cycling is one of the most competitive sports, and putting together a group of individual athletes who are equally competitive and successful takes into account a host of different things, the top of which are skills and luck. Nevertheless, below are the top ten cycling teams in the world.

Who is the most famous cyclist?

With a career that lasted close to two decades and many victories that included eleven Grand Tour titles, conquering all five monuments and three world cups, Eddie Merckx, otherwise known as the Cannibal, is considered the most famous cyclist of all time.

At this moment, it is clear that competing as a professional cycler takes immense effort. As pointed out earlier, it takes endurance, speed, balance, and motivation, and to top it all, one must be extra competitive. The above-highlighted best cyclists in the world have demonstrated to have all the aforementioned.

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