Yorkshire-born pioneer won eight Tour stages and Gent-Wevelgem during his career in the 60s and 70s
British cyclist Barry Hoban peddles away on a footpath, during the third stage of the Tour de France, 2nd July 1968(Image credit: Agence France Presse/Getty Images)
British cycling legend Barry Hoban has died at the age of 85.
An icon and pioneer of the sport in the UK, Hoban won eight Tour de France stages, two Vuelta a España stages and, famously, Gent-Wevelgem ahead of Eddy Merckx during his time racing in the 1960s and 70s.
Alongside fellow great Tom Simpson, Hoban's success in the 20th century paved the way for the modern stars that have emerged from Great Britain.
Hoban previously held the record for Tour stages won by a British rider until Mark Cavendish surpassed him in 2009. He also held the record for the most Tours de France completed by a Brit, finishing 11 of the 12 he started, until Geraint Thomas surpassed him by finishing his 12th last season.
The Yorkshireman was also the first Brit to win a Tour de France mountain stage and the first to win two Tour stages in a row.
Hoban's first win at cycling's biggest race in 1967, however, came under emotional circumstances as he was allowed to ride solo to the line in memory of Simpson, Britain's first men's world champion, who died during the previous stage after collapsing on Mont Ventoux.
The Wakefield-born rider went on to win Tour stages in 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974 and 1975. Hoban also finished third at Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 1969 and third at Paris-Roubaix in 1972, losing out to Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck, the two cycling greats he would go on to beat in Gent-Wevelgem.
Throughout his illustrious career, Hoban spent the majority of his seasons racing for Mercier-BP-Hutchinson, with teammates including fellow greats Raymond Poulidor and Cyrille Guimard.
Hoban is survived by his wife, Helen; daughter, Daniella; and his stepdaughters, Jane and Joanne Simpson.
Cyclingnews extends its deepest condolences to Barry Hoban's family and friends.
Barry Hoban receives his trophy after winning the 18th stage of the Tour de France in Bordeaux, 18th July 1968 (Image credit: Getty Images)
James Moultrie is a gold-standard NCTJ journalist who joined Cyclingnews as a News Writer in 2023 after originally contributing as a freelancer for eight months, during which time he also wrote for Eurosport, Rouleur and Cycling Weekly. Prior to joining the team he reported on races such as Paris-Roubaix and the Giro d’Italia Donne for Eurosport and has interviewed some of the sport’s top riders in Chloé Dygert, Lizzie Deignan and Wout van Aert. Outside of cycling, he spends the majority of his time watching other sports – rugby, football, cricket, and American Football to name a few.
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