Vuelta stage winner, African trailblazer and five-time Grand Tour top-10 finisher confirms retirement, ending iconic pro career

Louis Meintjes has called time on his professional cycling career after thirteen seasons in the peloton, bowing out at Il Lombardia 2025 on 11 October. The 33-year-old South African, a quiet but respected figure in the bunch, leaves behind a legacy of breaking barriers for African cycling and achieving the finest Grand Tour results ever by a rider from the continent.

The announcement was made by Intermarché – Wanty, the Belgian team with whom Meintjes enjoyed his most successful period at the top level. His seventh place at the Tour de France in 2022 remains both the team’s and Africa’s best-ever GC finish at the biggest race on the calendar.

Across 20 Grand Tours, Meintjes carved out a reputation as one of the most consistent climbers of his generation. He finished in the top 10 on five occasions — three times at the Tour, and twice at the Vuelta a Espana. His near-miss on Alpe d’Huez in 2022, when only Tom Pidcock denied him a stage victory, became one of the defining moments of his career.

Later that season, Meintjes finally broke through with a Grand Tour stage win at Les Praeres on the Vuelta — a triumph that resonated far beyond the race itself, confirming his place among the sport’s elite climbers.

Meintjes’ European journey began as a teenager, racing for the youth club in Seraing before turning professional with MTN–Qhubeka. After showing early promise, he became South African national champion at just 20 and captured the silver medal at UCI Road World Championships 2013 in the U23 road race behind Matej Mohoric — the first African rider ever to medal at a Road Worlds.

With Lampre–Merida, Meintjes emerged as a Tour de France revelation in 2016, battling Adam and Simon Yates for the white jersey and finishing eighth overall. That same year, he placed seventh at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 road race, further cementing his status as a standard-bearer for African cycling.

A more difficult period followed at Dimension Data, but Meintjes relaunched his career at Intermarché–Wanty in 2021. In their colours, he returned to his best, taking the win at Giro dell’Appennino and adding the Vuelta stage success that had eluded him earlier in his career.

While best known for his personal exploits in the high mountains, Meintjes was also a trusted and unselfish teammate. In recent years he played a crucial role in team strategies, notably in support of Biniam Girmay during the 2024 Tour de France, where the Eritrean made history as the first African to win the Green Jersey. His quiet leadership and professionalism made him one of the most respected riders in the peloton.

In an era defined by explosive talents and big-budget teams, Meintjes forged his reputation through perseverance, quiet class, and historic achievements. His retirement closes a chapter in cycling history — but his impact will endure long after his final pedal strokes at Il Lombardia.