Louis Meintjes

Louis Meintjes is a climber from South Africa who began racing in 2009, and turned professional four years later with MTN-Qhubeka. That year, at the age of 21, he swept national titles in the U23 road race and individual time trial, then carried the momentum to Worlds where he earned the silver medal in the U23 road race. He captured the elite road race title for South Africa in 2014 and participated in his first Grand Tour, where he finished fifth on one stage of the Vuelta a España. 

In 2015, Meintjes won the overall at Settimana Coppi e Bartali and the mountains classification at Circuit Cycliste Sarthe, then rode his first Tour de France, having to withdraw in the third week. Two months later he rode to 10th overall at the Vuelta a España.

He jumped to the WorldTour in 2016 with the Lampre-Merida team, where he finished eighth overall at his second Tour de France and seventh in the road race at the Rio Olympic Games. Then with UAE Team Emirates in the 2017 season he repeated in eighth at the Tour and finished 122th overall at the Vuelta.

He returned to his roots with the South African Qhubeka squad, now at the WorldTour level as Team Dimension Data and NTT Pro Cycling, for 2018-2020. He rode four more Grand Tours during that span, but results did not come so easily.

By 2021 he landed at the Intermarché programme, which had just moved up to the WorldTour level. He continued to be a leader for stage racing with the squad, but did not experience a resurgence to his efforts until 2022.

In his second season at Intermarché, Meintjes won Giro dell'Appennino, ending a seven-year drought from celebrating on the top step of the podium. He took confidence to another Tour de France and climbed to second on l’Alpe d’Huez in an emotional stage finish and he finished seventh on GC once in Paris. He followed with a stage win and 11th overall at the Vuelta a España.

His 2023 season saw him finish second on GC at Tour of Sicily and seventh on GC at Critérium du Dauphiné, but his good form came to a halt on stage 14 at the Tour when he crashed out.

Key results

2023

🥈 GC at Tour of Sicily

2022

🥇 One stage at Vuelta a España

🥇 Giro dell’Appennino

🥈 One stage at Tour de France

🥉  GC at tour of Sicily

2017

🥈 Best young rider classification at Tour de France

🥉 One stage at Critérium du Dauphiné

Eighth on GC at Tour de France

2016

🥈 Best young rider classification at Tour de France

Seventh at UCI World Championships road race

Eighth on GC at Tour de France

2015

🥇 One stage and GC at Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali

🥇 African Continental Championships road race

🥇 Mountains classification at Circuit Cycliste Sarthe