The Vélo d'Or (French for "Golden Bicycle") is an annual

cycle racing Cycle, cycles, or cyclic may refer to: Anthropology and social sciences * Cyclic history, a theory of history * Cyclical theory, a theory of American political history associated with Arthur Schlesinger, Sr. * Social cycle, various cycles in s ...

award, given to the cyclist considered to have performed the best over the racing season. It is awarded by the French cycling magazine '' Vélo Magazine'', with the winner chosen by a panel of international cycling journalists. The Vélo d'Or is considered one of cycling's highest individual honors, similar to the

Ballon d'Or The Ballon d'Or (; ) is an annual association football, football award presented by French magazine ''France Football'' since 1956 Ballon d'Or, 1956 to honour the player deemed to have performed the best over the previous season. Conceived ...

in football. Since 2022, the Vélo d'Or Femmes has also been awarded to the best female cyclist of the season. Both trophies are presented each year at the Pavillon Gabriel in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, alongside several sub-categories: the

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (born 17 June 1945), known as Eddy Merckx (, ), is a Belgian former professional road and track cyclist racer who is the most successful rider in the history of competitive cycling. His victories include an ...

Trophy, awarded to the best classics rider since 2023, and the

Chris Hoy Sir Christopher Andrew Hoy (born 23 March 1976) is a former Track cycling, track cyclist and racing driver from Scotland who represented Great Britain at the Olympics, Great Britain at the Olympic Games, Olympic and World Championships and Scot ...

Trophy, awarded to the best Olympics discipline rider since 2024. There are also awards for French riders: from 1992 to 2022, the

Vélo d'Or français The Vélo d'Or français (French for "French Golden Bicycle") is a road bicycle racing, cycle racing award, created in 1992 by the French cycling magazine ''Vélo Magazine''. Until 2023, the award was given to the French rider, male or female, consi ...

was given to the best overall French cyclist. Since 2023, this has been subdivided into two awards: the "Trophée

Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault (; born 14 November 1954) is a French former professional road bicycle racing, road cyclist. With 147 professional victories, including five times the Tour de France, he is often named among the greatest cyclists of all time. In ...

" for road cycling and the "Trophée

Daniel Morelon Daniel Morelon (born 24 July 1944) is a retired French racing cyclist who was active between 1963 and 1980. He is a triple Olympic champion, eight times world champion, and a Ordre national du Mérite, Knight of the National Order of Merit (''Ch ...

" for other cycling disciplines.

Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice (2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the Vuelta ...

holds the record for the most awards, winning the Vélo d'Or four times: in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2014.

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. He achieved international fame for winning the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times fro ...

initially won the Vélo d'Or five times, but these victories were nullified after the

USADA The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA, ) is a non-profit, non-governmental 501(c)(3) organization and the national anti-doping organization (NADO) for the United States. To protect clean competition and the integrity of sport and prevent ...

stripped him of his

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

titles following doping allegations and his eventual confession. The Vélo d'Or awards for these years were not reassigned to the runners-up.

Men's awards

Alberto Contador Tour 2010 team presentation 2

Vélo d'Or winners

Wins per rider

Eddy Merckx Trophy (best classics rider)

Women's awards

Vélo d'Or Femmes winners

Wins per rider

Eddy Merckx Trophy (best classics rider)

Additional awards

Chris Hoy Trophy

The

Trophy is awarded to the best cyclist across the various Olympic cycling disciplines.

Gino Mäder Prize

The

Gino Mäder Gino Mäder (; 4 January 1997 – 16 June 2023) was a Swiss road and track cyclist. He last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Mäder died as a result of an accident during the 2023 Tour de Suisse. Early life and education Gino Mäder was born on 4 Jan ...

Prize honors rider's social commitment. It is named after cyclist Gino Mäder, who raised money and frequently spoke in support of humanitarian and environmental causes, before passing away in 2023 after a crash at the

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse () is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France, which is on the calend ...

References

External links

''Vélo Magazine'' Website

''Vélo d'Or'' article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Velo dor Cycle racing Cycling awards