The Tour de France has always been about more than just who rode fastest from point A to point B. Let’s check out the most famous Tour de France wins.
It’s about moments, yellow jerseys earned in the mountains, time trials won by seconds, rivalries that defined eras, and machines that quietly carried riders into legend. While the rider always matters most, the bikes used in these victories became symbols of their time: steel to carbon, round tubes to aero shapes, tradition to technology.
Here are 10 of the most famous Tour de France wins, and the bikes that helped define them.
1. Eddy Merckx — 1969 Tour de France
Bike: Colnago Super (steel)
Why it matters: Total domination
Eddy Merckx’s 1969 Tour de France is widely regarded as the most dominant performance in the race’s history. He won:
- The general classification
- The points classification
- The mountains classification
- Six stages
All while riding a steel Colnago Super, built with traditional lugged construction and Campagnolo components.
This was the ultimate expression of rider-over-machine dominance, yet the Colnago became forever linked to Merckx’s era of absolute control.
2. Bernard Hinault — 1985 Tour de France
Bike: Look KG86 (carbon composite)
Why it matters: The transition era
Hinault’s final Tour victory came aboard one of the first truly successful carbon composite frames in pro cycling.
The Look KG86 used carbon tubes bonded into aluminum lugs — radical for its time. It represented cycling standing at a crossroads between steel tradition and carbon innovation.
Hinault rode injured, under pressure from teammate Greg LeMond, and still prevailed — proving new materials could win cycling’s biggest race.
3. Greg LeMond — 1989 Tour de France
Bike: Look KG86 + aero extensions
Why it matters: The closest Tour ever
The 1989 Tour de France was decided by 8 seconds — still the smallest winning margin in history.
LeMond overturned Laurent Fignon’s lead in the final time trial using:
- A Look KG86 carbon bike
- Triathlon-style aero bars
- A radically aerodynamic position
This win changed cycling forever. It proved aerodynamics could outweigh tradition, and ushered in a new era of marginal gains.
4. Miguel Induráin — 1995 Tour de France
Bike: Pinarello Espada (time trial) / Pinarello road bikes
Why it matters: The reign of control
Induráin won five Tours in a row, but 1995 marked the peak of his dominance.
His Pinarello machines, especially the Espada time trial bike — were aerodynamic masterpieces of the 1990s. Induráin didn’t attack like climbers before or after him; he simply crushed rivals in time trials.
These bikes symbolised a new kind of Tour winner: calm, measured, relentlessly powerful.
5. Marco Pantani — 1998 Tour de France
Bike: Bianchi Mega Pro XL (aluminum)
Why it matters: The climber’s Tour
Pantani’s 1998 victory was raw, emotional, and unforgettable. He attacked where others feared to — the mountains.
He rode an aluminum Bianchi Mega Pro XL, stiff and unforgiving by modern standards, paired with Pantani’s explosive climbing style.
It was one of the last Tours won without reliance on time-trial dominance, and the Bianchi remains iconic for its Celeste paint and association with pure climbing aggression.
6. Lance Armstrong — 1999 Tour de France
Bike: Trek 5500 OCLV (carbon)
Why it matters: Technology takes center stage
Note: Armstrong’s victories were later stripped, but the impact of the era remains historically significant.
The Trek 5500 OCLV carbon bike represented a leap in:
- Carbon manufacturing
- Weight reduction
- Aerodynamic thinking
Trek’s close integration with team strategy, aerodynamics, and equipment development defined the modern “systems approach” to winning the Tour.
Regardless of later controversy, the bikes themselves helped reshape pro cycling technology.
7. Alberto Contador — 2009 Tour de France
Bike: Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL2
Why it matters: Lightweight climbing era
Contador’s Tour win highlighted the shift toward ultralight carbon race bikes.
The Tarmac SL2 was among the lightest frames ever raced, and paired perfectly with Contador’s explosive climbing style.
This era marked a clear move away from heavy aero compromises toward bikes that climbed effortlessly and descended confidently.
8. Bradley Wiggins — 2012 Tour de France
Bike: Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think2
Why it matters: The British breakthrough
Wiggins became the first British winner of the Tour de France, riding the Pinarello Dogma 65.1.
The Dogma blended:
- Stiffness for power transfer
- Aerodynamics
- Comfort for long mountain stages
It symbolised Team Sky’s methodical, data-driven approach — controlled pacing, strong equipment choices, and total team discipline.
9. Chris Froome — 2017 Tour de France
Bike: Pinarello Dogma F8
Why it matters: Marginal gains perfected
Froome’s 2017 victory showcased the most refined version of Team Sky’s philosophy.
The Dogma F8 was lighter, more aerodynamic, and more comfortable than its predecessors. Combined with aggressive descending (including Froome’s famous downhill attack on the Peyresourde), it showed how modern bikes had become complete all-rounders.
10. Tadej Pogačar — 2020 Tour de France
Bike: Colnago V3Rs
Why it matters: The new generation
Pogačar’s shock win in 2020, overturning a large deficit in the final time trial, announced a new era.
The Colnago V3Rs was:
- Lightweight
- Aerodynamically optimised
- Designed specifically for modern racing demands
At just 21 years old, Pogačar proved that today’s bikes allow riders to be exceptional everywhere — climbing, descending, and time trialling.
How Tour de France Bikes Have Evolved
Looking across these victories, the evolution is clear:
- Steel (1950s–70s): Craftsmanship and durability
- Aluminum & early carbon (80s–90s): Innovation and experimentation
- Carbon dominance (2000s–present): Integration, aerodynamics, efficiency
Modern Tour-winning bikes are no longer specialists. They’re do-everything machines, balancing weight, aero efficiency, comfort, and stiffness.
Final Thoughts: Riders Make History — Bikes Tell the Story
No bike ever won the Tour de France on its own.
But each of these machines reflects the thinking of its time, what riders valued, what teams believed mattered, and how technology shaped the race.
From Merckx’s steel Colnago to Pogačar’s carbon Colnago, the Tour’s history is written in both legs and machines.
And that’s what makes it timeless.
