Who is the tallest Tour de France cyclist and why does it matter?

Who is the tallest Tour de France cyclist and why does it matter?

Why does the UCI maintain a list of tall riders? And who is the tallest cyclist at the 2024 Tour de France?

Luc Claessen/Getty Images

Published: June 27, 2024 at 1:00 pm

From featherweight mountain goats to power-packed sprinters, there is no catch-all shape and size for professional cyclists.

But particularly tall pro Grand Tour cyclists are the rarity – hauling your body over the mountains generally favours lighter riders.

ProCyclingStats crunched the data in 2017 and found the average weight of riders on the men’s WorldTour was 68.8kg and their average height was 1.81m.

So, who are the riders at the extremes of the data? Who are the tallest and shortest riders at the 2023 Tour de France? And does it have any impact on performance?

Who is the tallest rider in the professional peloton?

SAINT-BERTHEVIN, FRANCE - MAY 24: A general view of Remi Cavagna of France, Carlos Canal of Spain, Mathias Norsgaard of Denmark, Manlio Moro of Italy, Ivan Romeo of Spain, Sergio Samitier of Spain and Movistar Team prior to the 49th Boucles de la Mayenne 2024, Stage 1 a 167.5km stage from Renault - Saint-Berthevin to Ernee on May 24, 2024 in Ernee, France. (
By either measurement, Norsgaard (far right, to state the obvious) is good to draft behind. - Luc Claessen/Getty Images

Mathias Norsgaard is the tallest rider in the men's WorldTour peloton, measuring 1.98m according to the UCI and 2.02m on his team Movistar's tape measure.

The Danish classics specialist was 9th at Dwars door Vlaanderen in 2024 but did not make the Tour de France squad.

This leaves Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) towering at the top of the Tour de France tallest riders classification at 1.95m for the second year running.

Wæerenskjold is the Norwegian national time-trial champion and won the Tour of Belgium general classification. Weighing 92kg, the Hippo from Mandal is also one of the peloton's heaviest cyclists.

Ineos-Grenadiers' Ben Turner (1.94m) remains in second place. Stefan Küng (1.93m) and Brent Van Moer (1.91m) are not far behind Turner, nicknamed 'Big Ben' and 'The Clock'.

Max Walscheid (1.98m) was the loftiest Tour de France rider for three years running until 2023, but he didn't make the Jayco-AlUla squad this year.

Who are the tallest cyclists at the 2024 Tour de France?

  • Søren Wærenskjold (Uno-X Mobility) – 195cm
  • Ben Turner (Ineos-Grenadiers) – 194cm
  • Stefan Küng (Groupama-FDJ) – 193cm
  • Brent Van Moer (Lotto-Dstny) – 191cm

Who is the shortest pro cyclist?

VENCE, FRANCE - FEBRUARY 19: Martín López of Ecuador and Team Astana Qazaqstan Development competes during the 55th Tour Des Alpes Maritimes Et Du Var 2023, Stage 3 a 131.8km stage from Villefranche-sur-Mer to Vence / #tour0683 / on February 19, 2023 in Vence, France.
Martín López is the shortest WorldTour cyclist in 2024. - Luc Claessen/Getty Images

At the other end of the scale, Samuel Dumoulin – a veteran of 12 Tours de France before his 2019 retirement, and a stage winner in 2008 – stood at just 1.59m.

Harold Martín López of Astana Qazaqstan, who measures just 1.60m, is now the shortest WorldTour cyclist.

But the Ecuadorian is not racing the 2024 Tour de France. Neither are Laurens Huys (1.62m), Esteban Chaves (1.64m) or Caleb Ewan (1.65m).

Therefore, Ineos-Grenadiers' Tom Pidcock (1.7m) will be looking up to everyone on the start line.

The smallest male pro cyclist ever recorded appears to be Vicente Belda at 1.54m.

Why does the UCI maintain a list of the tallest riders?

TURNHOUT, BELGIUM - JUNE 12: Mathias Norsgaard of Denmark and Movistar Team sprints during the 93rd Baloise Belgium Tour 2024, Stage 1 a 12km individual time trial stage from Beringen to Beringen on June 12, 2024 in Beringen, Belgium.
Taller riders are allowed longer reach and higher armrests on their time trial bikes. - Luc Claessen/Getty Images

Why does the UCI need to know how tall riders are? The answer relates to equipment regulations and the reach allowed on aero extension bars.

Following UCI rules changes in 2023, cycling's governing body divides riders into three height categories.

On time trial bikes, the horizontal distance between the bottom bracket's centre and the extension bars' tips must be no more than 80cm for category one riders shorter than 180cm.

Category two riders, who stand between 180cm and 189cm tall, are allowed a maximum 83cm of reach.

Category three riders (taller than 190cm) are permitted a reach of up to 85cm.

The new rules also determine the maximum vertical difference permitted between the armrest pad and shifters.

Category one riders are allowed a 100mm gap, while category two and three riders can have a maximum of 120mm and 140mm, respectively.

Who is the tallest professional cyclist ever?

Conor Dunne, 2.04m

Cycling: 3rd Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2017 / Men
Conor Dunne regularly towered over his rivals in the pro peloton. - Getty / Kei Tsuji / Stringer - https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/3rd-cadel-evans-great-ocean-road-race-2017-men-kirill-news-photo/632978862

Conor Dunne, the 2018 Irish champion, never rode in the Tour de France, but he was at the 2017 Vuelta a España and the 2019 Giro d'Italia, and completed both.

He was the lanterne rouge at the Vuelta with Aqua Blue Sport and finished the Giro in 135th place overall for the Israel Cycling Academy – which is no mean feat considering the Irishman is 6ft 8in (2.04m) tall and towered over the peloton.

At An Post, bike sponsors Vitus had to create a new XXL 62cm (yes, sixty-two!) frame size to accommodate Dunne, with a longer top tube enabling extra reach.

Guillermo Brunetta, 2.04m

Argentine cyclist Guillermo Brunetta competes in the 4,000 meter pusuit during the ODESUR games.
Argentine Guillermo Brunetta is as rangy as Dunne. - Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images

Dunne isn't the only 6ft 8in rider to have enjoyed a career on two wheels.

While it seems no pro rider has ever been taller, Guillermo Brunetta is the same height as the Irishman, at 2.04m.

Brunetta was not only tall, he also weighed in at 97kg – a product of his track-cycling upbringing.

Brunetta’s career was spent in South America in the 2000s, where his powerful frame was put to good effect in winning four Argentinian national time-trial titles.

Does height matter for cyclists?

GRENOBLE ALPES MÉTROPOLE, FRANCE - JUNE 11: (L-R) Adam Yates of The United Kingdom and UAE Team Emirates on second place, race winner Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark and Team Jumbo-Visma - Yellow Leader Jersey and Ben O'connor of Australia and AG2R Citroën Team on third place pose on the podium ceremony after the 75th Criterium du Dauphine 2023, Stage 8 a 152.8km stage from Le Pont-de-Claix to La Bastille – Grenoble Alpes Métropole 498m / #UCIWT / on June 11, 2023 in Grenoble Alpes Métropole, France. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Ben O'Connor (right) is unusually tall for a GC rider. - Dario Belingheri/Getty Images

In short, yes, height does matter for professional cycling – sort of.

ProCyclingStats’ 2017 study found the top time triallists were, on average, taller than the average WorldTour pro.

Further down the tape measure, climbers were much shorter; the top climbers were, on average, 1.6cm shorter than the top sprinters and 2.7cm shorter than the average WorldTour pro.

Jumbo-Visma's Belgian rider Wout Van Aert (R) and Jumbo-Visma's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard (L) cycle ahead of their teammates during a training session, on June 29, 2023, two days prior to the start of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, in Bilbao, in northern Spain. (Photo by Marco BERTORELLO / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)
Diminutive Vingegaard has an exceptional power-to-weight ratio. - MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

General classification contenders are usually on the shorter side.

Last year's Tour de France winner and this year's favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a bike) measures 174cm tall. Double Grand Boucle winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is three centimetres taller.

There are exceptions to the rule. The fourth-placed rider in the 2021 Tour de France, Australian Ben O'Connor, is 1.88m and 2012 Yellow Jersey winner Sir Bradley Wiggins (1.9m) is taller still.

But the key to cycling performance is power, not height – and, for climbing, the power-to-weight ratio.