Francisco Mancebo makes cycling history! He surpasses Oscar Sevilla and becomes the oldest international UCI race winner
Cycling
Francisco Mancebo became on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the oldest winner of a UCI race. The record was held until now by another Spaniard, Oscar Sevilla, who is still active and could theoretically re-take the crown later this season. Mancebo, who spent last seven years in Japan, won the first stage of the Mauritanian Tour du Sahel (2.2).
He did so at the age of 48 years and 319 days, surpassing in just a few months after Sevilla set a new bar. He won after a sprint against the Moroccan Ibrahim Essabahy and the German Leo Charrois. The third oldest UCI race winner is Venezuela's Gil Cordovés, at 47 years and 114 days. The Top 4 (if we were to only count Sevilla once) is closed by the Dutchman Lex Nederlof, with 46 years and 316 days.
A little trip down the rabbit hole for those who don't remember early 2000s. Mancebo, just like his compatriot Sevilla used to belong among the world's best GC riders two decades ago, having finished consistently in the top-10 at Grand Tours between 2000 and 2005. And just like Sevilla, Mancebo too has a Grand Tour podium. The Madrid-native finished third at the 2004 Vuelta a Espana and, a year later, finished 4th at both Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana before waving goodbye to European cycling and setting out on a trip around the world that saw him triumph in countries like Malaysia, Japan, Mexico, Egypt and most recently - Mauritania.
The 5 most veteran cyclists to win a UCI race
1. Paco Mancebo (48 years and 319 days) - First stage of the Tour du Sahel 2025
2. Óscar Sevilla (48 years and 43 days) - First stage and overall classification of the Vuelta a Ecuador 2024
3. Gil Cordovés (47 years and 114 days) - Third stage of the Vuelta Ciclista a Venezuela 2012
4. Óscar Sevilla (47 years and 5 days) - Overall classification of the Tour of Hainan 2024
5. Lex Nederlof (46 years and 316 days) - Melaka Governor's Cup 2013
UltimateOpportunist you clearly don't know much about cycling. Why do you think Mancebo only races for a minor team in poor quality races in weird places? Drugs ban anyone?
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- Good, hopefully Jonas goes also so we get a nice duelvappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- right? i think it’s hungry journalists that fuel this, and i understand the jam they can be in trying to create stories, but you’d hate to think ANYONE is failing to appreciate how RARE someone like van der poel is (or how LUCKY we are to have both mvdp and pog racing at the same time). a little perspective is a good thing…OCexile03-04-2025
- Anyone know how long that 213km ride took? Coz without that the segment speeds don’t reveal anything surprising. If it took him Less than 5h ok but otherwise it was just some interval training for him.Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- Hinault was even lighter than Pog at 62 kg when he won PR in 1981, beating Roger van Vlaeminck no less (albeit at the fag end of the latter's career), so it can be done.Cooldude03-04-2025
- Having to shoulder too much pressure from the Belgain public too much that he made a tactical mistake. That's what public pressure does to you. Poor Wout! Hopefully, lady luck befalls him soon.
KerisVroom03-04-2025 - If he's very lucky maybe he can podium a Tour one season, I certainly don't believe he can win it, evervappaxbipmv03-04-2025
- Yeah, as if fans would now have acquired a right to an MVPD every generation ;-)Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- Yeah not this year anyway but worth keeping an eye on him (and some others) in future.Jumpyjohn03-04-2025
- poor kid, saddled with all that “next mvdp” crap. eeesh…OCexile03-04-2025
- I don't think so, maybe in a different GT, not in the Tour. Last year, to be 3rd, he would have to be better than Remco. And he wasn't, on any terrainvappaxbipmv03-04-2025