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!
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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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A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and long reads across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013. In 2024 he released a seven-part podcast documentary, Ghost in the Machine, about motor doping in cycling.
Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains. He lives in Valencia, Spain.
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