Photo: swpix.com

Everyone at British Cycling is saddened to hear of the passing of Barry Hoban at the age of 85.

A pioneering figure in UK road cycling, the twice National pursuit champion Hoban won 27 races in a long and storied career and held the record for most stage wins by a British rider in the Tour de France – eight between 1967 and 1975 – for over 30 years with only Sir Mark Cavendish bettering that number of victories in 2009.  Until it was broken by Geraint Thomas in 2024, Hoban also held the record for most Tours completed by a British rider, which had stood at 11.

As comfortable in the hills as in the sprint finish, Hoban was a highly versatile rider who also added two stages of the Vuelta a España to his resume, and he remains the only British rider to win Gent-Wevelgem, outsprinting Eddy Merckx in 1974.

Frank Slevin, Chair of British Cycling said,

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of British cycling legend Barry Hoban. He was an extremely versatile and talented cyclist and a pioneering figure for British riders, alongside Tom Simpson, in the great European races such as the Tour de France for which he held eight stage wins. His performances provided inspiration for multiple generations of cyclists which followed in his footsteps. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.”