The all-time list of Britain's most successful Olympic cyclists

Hoy, Wiggins, Pendleton, Kenny, Trott... who is Britain's greatest ever Olympic cyclist? And who else has won a cycling medal for GB?

British cycling and the Olympics has been synonymous with success since Lottery funding started in 1996.

However, riders from the UK have had a long history with medals at the Olympics, which stretches back all the way to the first modern Games, in Athens in 1896.

The golden generation was arguably 2008 and 2012 when Great Britian’s riders dominated in Beijing and London, winning eight golds in both Games.

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Sir Chris Hoy became the greatest Olympian from the UK in history in London after securing a record sixth gold medal, but this was equalled by Jason Kenny at the Rio Games. Sir Bradley Wiggins has one more medal overall, but 'only' five golds.

The way our ranking works is riders who achieve a gold earn four points, a silver is worthy of two points and one point is denoted for a bronze.

Let the debate commence!

1. Sir Chris Hoy (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) – 26 points, 7 medals

Gold, 1km time trial, 2004

Gold, sprint, 2008

Gold, team sprint, 2008

Gold, keirin, 2008

Gold, team sprint, 2012

Gold, keirin, 2012

Silver, team sprint, 2000

=1. Jason Kenny (2008, 2012, 2016) – 26 points, 7 medals

Gold, team sprint, 2008

Gold, team sprint, 2012

Gold, individual sprint, 2012

Gold, team sprint, 2016

Gold, keirin, 2016

Gold, individual sprint, 2016

Silver, individual sprint, 2008

3. Sir Bradley Wiggins (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016) – 24 points, 8 medals

Gold, individual pursuit, 2004

Gold, team pursuit, 2008

Gold, individual pursuit, 2008

Gold, time trial, 2012

Gold, team pursuit, 2016

Silver, team pursuit, 2004

Bronze, team pursuit, 2000

Bronze, Madison, 2004

4. Laura Trott (2012, 2016) – 16 points, 4 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 2012

Gold, omnium, 2012

Gold, team pursuit, 2016

Gold, omnium, 2016

5. Ed Clancy (2008, 2012, 2016) - 13 points, 4 medals
Gold, team pursuit, 2008

Gold, team pursuit, 2012

Gold, team pursuit, 2016

Bronze, omnium, 2012

=6. Victoria Pendleton (2008, 2012) – 10 points, 3 medals

Gold, sprint, 2008

Gold, keirin, 2012

Silver, sprint, 2012

=6. Benjamin Jones (1908) – 10 points, 3 medals

Gold, 5000 metres, 1908

Gold, team pursuit, 1908

Silver, 20 kilometres, 1908

8. Steven Burke (2008, 2012, 2016) – 9 points, 2 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 2012

Gold, team pursuit, 2016

Bronze, individual pursuit, 2008

=9. Philip Hindes (2012, 2016) – 8 points, 2 medals

Gold, team sprint, 2012

Gold, team sprint, 2016

=9. Geraint Thomas (2008, 2012) – 8 points, 2 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 2008

Gold, team pursuit, 2012

=9. Clarence Kingsbury (1908) – 8 points, 2 medals

Gold, 20 kilometres, 1908

Gold, team pursuit, 1908

=9. Joanna Rowsell-Shand (2012, 2016) – 8 points, 2 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 2012

Gold, team pursuit, 2016

13. Paul Manning (2000, 2004, 2008) – 7 points, 3 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 2008

Silver, team pursuit, 2004

Bronze, team pursuit, 2000

=14. Callum Skinner (2016) – 6 points, 2 medals
Gold, team sprint, 2016

Silver, individual sprint, 2016

=14. Jason Queally (2000) – 6 points, 2 medals

Gold, 1km time trial, 2000

Silver, team sprint, 2000

=14. Leonard Meredith (1908, 1912) – 6 points, 2 medals

Gold, team pursuit, 1908

Silver, team road race, 1912

=14. Horace Johnson (1908, 1920) – 6 points, 3 medals

Silver, 2km tandem race, 1908

Silver, 1km individual sprint, 1920

Silver, team pursuit, 1920

=14. Cyril Alden (1920, 1924) – 6 points, 3 medals

Silver, 50km race, 1920

Silver, team pursuit, 1920

Silver, 50km race, 1924

=18. Harry Ryan (1920) – 5 points, 2 medals

Gold, tandem, 1920

Bronze, sprint, 1920

=18. Chris Boardman (1992, 1996) – 5 points, 2 medals

Gold, individual pursuit, 1992

Bronze, time trial, 1996

=18. Frank Southall (1928, 1932) – 5 points, 3 medals

Silver, road race, 1928

Silver, team road race, 1928

Bronze, team pursuit, 1932

Other British Olympic medallists

Riders with one gold and four points: Ernest Payne (1908 team pursuit); Victor Johnson (1908 660 yards); Charles Bartlett (1908 100 kilometres); Thomas Lance (1920 tandem); Rebecca Romero (2008 women’s individual pursuit); Jamie Staff (2008 team sprint); Nicole Cooke (2008 women’s road race); Pete Kennaugh (2012 team pursuit); Dani King (2012 women’s team pursuit); Owain Doull (2016 team pursuit); Elinor Barker (2016 team pursuit); Katie Archibald (2016 team pursuit)

Becky James (2016) - 4 points

Silver, keirin 2016

Silver, sprint, 2016

Chris Newton (2000, 2004, 2008) – 4 points

Silver, team pursuit, 2004

Bronze, team pursuit, 2000

Bronze, points race, 2008

Reg Harris (1948) – 4 points

Silver, tandem, 1948

Silver, sprint, 1948

Rob Hayles (2000, 2004) – 4 points

Silver, team pursuit, 2004

Bronze, Madison, 2004

Bronze, team pursuit, 2000

Frederick Grubb (1912) – 4 points

Silver, team time trial, 1912

Silver, road race, 1912

Ernest Chambers (1928, 1932) – 4 points

Silver, tandem, 1928

Silver, tandem, 1932

Bryan Steel (2000, 2004) – 3 points

Silver, team pursuit, 2004

Bronze, team pursuit, 2000

Alan Jackson (1956) – 3 points

Silver, team road race, 1956

Bronze, individual road race, 1956


Riders with one silver and two points:
Frederick Keeping (1896 12 hour race) Frederick Hamlin (1908 tandem); Charles Denny (1908 100km);  Charles Moss (1912 team time trial); William Hammond (1912 team time trial) Cyril Alden (1920 team pursuit); William Stewart (1920 team pursuit); Albert White (1920 team pursuit); Jack Lauterwasser (1928 road race team); John Middleton (1928 road race team); John Sibbit (1928 tandem) Robert John Maitland (1948 road race team); Ian Scott (1948 road race team); Gordon Thomas (1948 road race team); Arthur Brittain (1956 road race team); William Holmes (1956 road race team); Craig MacLean (2000 team sprint); Ross Edgar (2008 keirin); Steve Cummings (2008 team pursuit); Wendy Houvenaghel (2008 women’s individual pursuit); Emma Pooley (2008 women’s time trial); Lizzie Armitstead (2012 women’s road race); Mark Cavendish (2016 omnium)

Ernest Johnson (1932, 1936) – 2 points

Bronze, team pursuit, 1932

Bronze, team pursuit, 1936

Donald Burgess (1952, 1956) – 2 points

Bronze, team pursuit, 1952

Bronze, team pursuit, 1956

Mick Bennett (1972, 1976) – 2 points

Bronze, team pursuit, 1972

Bronze, team pursuit, 1976

Ian Hallam (1972, 1976) – 2 points

Bronze, team pursuit, 1972

Bronze, team pursuit, 1976

Chris Froome (2012, 2016) – 2 points

Bronze, time trial, 2012

Bronze, time trial, 2016

Tommy Godwin (1948) – 2 points

Bronze, 1km time trial, 1948

Bronze, team pursuit, 1948

Riders with one bronze and one point: Colin Brooks (1908 tandem); Walter Isaacs (1908 tandem); George Southall (1928 team pursuit); Harry Wyld (1928 team pursuit); Leonard Wyld (1928 team pursuit); Percy Wyld (1928 team pursuit); Stanley Chambers (1932 tandem); William Harvell (1932 team pursuit); Charles Holland (1932 team pursuit); Harry Hill (1936 team pursuit); Charles King (1936 team pursuit); Ernest Mills (1936 team pursuit); Robert Geldard (1948 team pursuit); David Ricketts (1948 team pursuit); Wilfred Waters (1948 team pursuit); Alan Bannister (1948 tandem); George Newbury (1952 team pursuit); Alan Newton (1952 team pursuit); Ronald Stretton (1952 team pursuit); Michael Gambrill (1956 team pursuit); John Geddes (1956 team pursuit); Tom Simpson (1956 team pursuit); William Moore (1972 team pursuit); Ian Hallam (1972 team pursuit); Ronald Keeble (1972 team pursuit); Robin Croker (1976 team pursuit); Ian Banbury (1976 team pursuit); Edward Battell (1986 road race); Max Sciandri (1996 road race); Yvonne McGregor (2000 women’s individual pursuit); Katy Marchant (2016, sprint).

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Chris Marshall-Bell

Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.


Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.