PCS Favorite500: Popularity ranking: Pogacar defends top spot - Ullrich and Lippert most popular Germans

Since 2020, our partner platform Procyclingstats has been conducting a vote at the end of each year in which cycling fans can vote for their favourites - including in 2024.

ProCyclingStats Favorite500 - the rules

Fans were asked to vote for their 15 favourite male or female riders. All riders from the Procyclingstats.com database were eligible - whether men or women, professionals or amateurs, active riders or riders from earlier eras of cycling. At least 10 people had to be selected, a maximum of 15. Voting began on 11 December at 12:00 pm and ended on 23 December at 20:00. During this period, a total of 8840 lists were submitted and the top 500 most popular male and female cyclists were subsequently published.

A clear winner

The result: the fans' number one favourite is and remains Tadej Pogacar. The Slovenian was voted for in 5466 lists - around 62 per cent had him on their list. The 26-year-old had already won the vote the previous year, when he was on 63 per cent of all lists submitted. Behind Pogacar on the podium in 2024 are Mathieu van der Poel (47.83 per cent) and Wout van Aert (44.47 per cent). Remco Evenepoel makes the biggest leap in the top 10, moving up from eighth place in 2023 to fifth place. The most popular female rider is Marianne Vos in 18th place, who was on 16.66 per cent of all lists, followed by Annemiek van Vleuten in 23rd place with 11.40 per cent and Lotte Kopecky (29th place/9.40 per cent).

ProCyclingStats Favorite500: The top 10 overall 2024

1. Tadej Pogacar 61.83 %
2. Mathieu van der Poel 47.83 %
3. Wout van Aert 44.47 %
4. Peter Sagan 40.94 %
5. Remco Evenepoel 34.24 %
6. Primoz Roglic 29.31 %
7. Alberto Contador 28.67 %
8. Alejandro Valverde 27.60 %
9. Eddy Merckx 24.64 %
10. Mark Cavendish 23.16 %

>> ProCyclingStats Favorite500: The complete list 2024 is available's here

Jan Ullrich and Liane Lippert most popular Germans

There are no German male or female cyclists in the top 20. Jan Ullrich is the best-placed man in 25th place overall, coming in at 11.01 per cent of all lists, followed by Erik Zabel and Jens Voigt (both 5.70 per cent in 50th and 51st place respectively). The most popular German cyclist still active in the voting is John Degenkolb in 85th place with 3.24 per cent, ahead of Nils Politt (115th / 2.09 per cent) and Lennard Kämna (121st / 1.92 per cent). Liane Lippert is the best-placed German woman in 163rd place with 1.32 per cent, followed by Ricarda Bauernfeind (272nd / 0.61 per cent) and Antonia Niedermaier (316th / 0.51 per cent).

How did the vote go in the past?

In 2023, 7591 people from 158 nations cast their votes. 63 per cent of them had the winner Tadej Pogacar on their list.

The top 10 2023

1. Tadej Pogacar 63 %
2. Mathieu van der Poel 52.4 %
3. Wout van Aert 46.3 %
4. Peter Sagan 44.3 %
5. Primoz Roglic 32.6 %
6. Alberto Contador 31 %
7. Alejandro Valverde 30.1 %
8. Remco Evenepoel 25.1 %
9. Eddy Merckx 23.7 %
10. Fabian Cancellara 22.8 %

The top 10 2022

1. Wout van Aert 44.9 %
2. Peter Sagan 44.2 %
3. Tadej Pogacar 41.9 %
4. Mathieu van der Poel 39.2 %
5. Alejandro Valverde 36.7 %
6. Alberto Contador 34.8 %
7. Fabian Cancellara 28.3 %
8. Eddy Merckx 28 %
9. Vincenzo Nibali 27.6 %
10. Tom Boonen 25.5 %

The top 10 2021

1. Wout van Aert 44.2 %
2. Peter Sagan 43.2 %
3. Mathieu van der Poel 43.1 %
4. Primoz Roglic 34.7 %
5. Julian Alaphilippe 34.4 %
6. Tadej Pogacar 33.7 %
7. Alejandro Valverde 28.7 %
8. Alberto Contador 25.3 %
9. Mark Cavendish 21 %
10. Fabian Cancellara 20.8 %

The top 10 2020

1. Peter Sagan 47.6
2. Alberto Contador 37.2
3. Fabian Cancellara 32.7 %
4. Tom Boonen 29.4 %
5. Mathieu van der Poel 28.2 %
6. Alejandro Valverde 27.1 %
7. Wout van Aert 26.3 %
8. Eddy Merckx 25.3 %
9. Julian Alaphilippe 23.2
10. Vincenzo Nibali 22.2 %