At 33 years old, Louis Meintjes took his final bow this Saturday 11th of October, at the last Monument of the season, Il Lombardia. The South African climber thus closes a chapter of thirteen years as a professional cyclist, during which he set records for his country, for the African continent, and left his mark on the history of Intermarché-Wanty at the Tour de France.
A career built on the Grand Tours
Across the twenty Grand Tours he has contested, Louis Meintjes has finished in the top ten of the Tour de France three times. His seventh place in 2022 stands as the best-ever result by both an Intermarché-Wanty rider and an African rider in the history of the Grande Boucle, where he even came close to a stage victory on Alpe d’Huez, finishing just behind Tom Pidcock.
A South African shaped by Belgium
It was upon joining the Walloon team in 2021 that the pocket climber rediscovered his best form, the level that had once earned him eighth place in the Tour de France in 2016 and 2017. Meintjes adopted a more attacking racing style and found his way back to victory for the first time in seven years, winning the Giro dell’Appennino. That August, he triumphed atop Les Praeres on the Vuelta, entering the select circle of Grand Tour stage winners.
Seventh in the 2022 Tour de France, tenth in the 2022 Vuelta, and eighteenth in the 2025 Giro, it was in the colours of the Belgian Intermarché-Wanty team that he achieved his finest results in the Grand Tours. Fittingly, it was also in Belgium that it all began for Louis Meintjes. At 18, he arrived in Europe to race with the youth club of Seraing, before turning professional at 20 with MTN-Qhubeka.
The rise of an African talent
In 2013, he claimed the silver medal in the U23 World Championships in Florence, finishing just behind Matej Mohorič to become the first African cyclist ever to medal at a Road World Championship. The following year, at only 20, he became South African national champion, and in 2015, African champion. His early professional victories on African soil were soon followed by his first European success — winning the Settimana Coppi e Bartali at just 21 years old.
With Lampre-UAE Emirates in 2016, Louis Meintjes became a genuine contender at the Tour de France, battling for the white jersey against Adam and Simon Yates. That September, he had the honor of representing South Africa at the Rio Olympic Games, where he finished seventh. A more challenging spell with Dimension Data led him to relaunch his career with Intermarché–Wanty, where he would go on to surpass all his previous benchmarks.
A respected and exemplary leader
Over five seasons with the World Team, Louis Meintjes has established himself as a respected leader: calm, exemplary, and loyal to his teammates, never hesitating to sacrifice himself for others, whether supporting Biniam Girmay in the fight for the green jersey at the 2024 Tour de France, or recently helping Georg Zimmermann toward victory at the Giro d’Abruzzo.
“I’m very proud that I was able to be a professional cyclist for thirteen years. As a kid, that was all I ever dreamed about — to be good enough to ride in the pro peloton. I never imagined winning races. Just reaching that level was already a huge challenge. Looking back now, knowing how hard it was to get there and to stay there for so long, I see it as a big achievement. I really had to fight for it — starting from nothing and finding my own way. I had to grab every single opportunity that came my way, even if it was just a flat race in the Netherlands.” “Also, coming from South Africa, I was far from home, family, and friends for so long. This journey has taught me so much and shaped me into who I am today. When I look back, it really makes me proud. What I’ve always loved is the process — preparing for goals and giving everything to achieve them. Along the way, I’ve met so many amazing people, and I want to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my journey. I’ve had the chance to race at the front and fight for victories. Sometimes luck was on my side, sometimes not — but it all balanced out, and that’s why I have no regrets.” “The level in the peloton keeps rising, and at some point I realized I was no longer fighting at the front. I was taking risks in dangerous descents just to stay in the middle of the group — and it didn’t feel the same anymore. That’s why I feel it’s the right moment to end my career. My focus is also shifting toward family life. Very soon I’ll become a father, and I want to dedicate myself fully to that new role, just like I did throughout my cycling career. I’m really looking forward to being there for my wife Laura and our twin babies on the way.” “This season I’ve been thinking a lot about the future — about becoming a father and about life after cycling. It felt strange to race for the last time at Il Lombardia last Saturday. To be honest, it will take some time for it to sink in. For now, I’ll focus on family life and keep enjoying sport in a different way. Some friends challenged me to ride the Andorra Epic mountain bike race, and I’ve also signed up for the Barcelona Semi Marathon. I’ll take some time to decide what comes next, but I want to find something new that excites me.”
