Nicknames of Famous Cyclists

Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi

During the early years of cycling, journalists started creating nicknames in an effort to help popularize the sport, and further endear racers to their respective followers. This tradition still continues today.

Here’s a list of some of the most popular monikers hung on the sport’s biggest luminaries over the decades. 

Roger De Vlaeminck 

• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: “The Tashkent Terror”
• Jean Aerts: “Brummel van de fiets”
• Ugo Agostoni: “The King of the Descents” (Re delle discese)
• Jean Alavoine: “Gars Jean”
• Phil Anderson: “Skippy”, “Dr. Teeth”
• Henry Anglade: “Napoleon”

Maurice Garin

• Jacques Anquetil: “Monsieur Chrono”, “Maître Jacques”
• Maurice Archambaud: “Chubby Cheeks”
• Moreno Argentin: “The Boss” (Il Capo)
• Lance Armstrong: “Mellow Johnny”, “Big Tex”, “The Boss”
• Hippolyte Aucouturier: “The Terrible”
• Federico Bahamontes: “The Eagle of Toledo”

Federico Bahamontes

• Ercole Baldini: “The Fast Train from Forli” (Direttisimo di Forlì)
• Gino Bartali: “The Man from Iron” (L’uomo di ferro), “Gino the Pious” (Il Pio)
• Michele Bartoli: “Lion Cub” (Leoncino), “The Warrior” (Il Guerriero)
• Daniele Bennati: “The Panther”
• Ivan Basso: “Ivan the Terrible” (Ivan il Terribile)
• Gaetano Belloni: “The Eternal Second” (Eterno secondo)

Paolo Bettini

• Antonio Bevilacqua: “Big Lips” (Labbrone)
• Paolo Bettini: “The Cricket” (Il Grillo)
• Alfredo Binda: “Campionissimo”, “The Trumpeter of Cittiglio” (Trombettiere di Cittiglio)
• Franco Bitossi: “The Crazy Heart” (Cuore Matto)
• Tom Boonen: “Tommeke”, “Tornado Tom”
• Ottavio Bottecchia: “The Mason from Friuli” (Le Maçon de Frioul)

Alfredo Binda

• Hernan Buenahora: “The Little Goat from Barichara” (El Cabrito de Barichara)
• Fabian Cancellara: “Spartacus”
• Jimmy Casper: “The Little Ghost”
• Mark Cavendish: “The Manx Missile”
• Mirko Celestino: “Sputnik”
• Claudio Chiappucci: “The Devil” (El Diablo)

Phil Anderson

• Franco Chioccioli: “Little Coppi” (Coppino)
• Eugène Christophe: “The Old Gaul” (Le Vieux Gaulois), “Cri-cri”
• Mario Cipollini: “The Lion King” (Re Leone), “Super Mario”
• Thierry Claveyrolat: “The Eagle of Vizille”, “Clavette”
• Salvatore Commesso: “Toto”
• Alberto Contador: “El Pistolero”

Mario Cipollini

• Fausto Coppi: “Il Campionissimo”, “The Heron” (Airone)
• Damiano Cunego: “The Little Prince of Verona” (Principino Veronese)
• Roger De Vlaeminck: “The Gypsy from Eeklo”, “Monsieur Paris–Roubaix”
• Pedro Delgado: “Perico”
• Danilo Di Luca: “Killer”
• Cadel Evans: “Cuddles”

Bernard Hinault

• François Faber: “The Giant of Colombes”
• Laurent Fignon: “The Professor”
• Juan Antonio Flecha: “Robin Hood”, “The Archer”
• Óscar Freire: “The Cat”, “Oscarito”
• José Manuel Fuente: “El Tarangu”
• Luigi Ganna: “The King of Mud”
• Carlo Galetti: “Squirrel of the Canals” (Scoiattolo dei Navigli)
• Maurice Garin: “The Little Chimneysweep” (Le petit ramoneur), “The White Bulldog”

Charly Gaul

• Charly Gaul: “The Angel of the Mountains”, “Monsieur Pi-pi”
• Stefano Garzelli: “The Little Pirate” (Il Piratino), “The Jaguar”
• Raphaël Géminiani: “Top Gun” (Le Gran Fusil)
• Giovanni Gerbi: “The Red Devil”
• Felice Gimondi: “The Aristocrat”, “The Phoenix”
• Costante Girardengo: “Campionissimo”, “The Novi Runt”
• Walter Godefroot: “The Bulldog of Flanders”
• Aitor González: “The Terminator”
• Giuseppe Guerini: “Beppe Turbo”

Sean Kelly

• Learco Guerra: “The Human Locomotive”
• Andy Hampsten: “Ernie”
• Roger Hassenforder: “The Clown”, “The Bandit”
• Bernard Hinault: “The Badger” (Le Blaireau)
• Thor Hushovd: “The Norwegian Bull”, “The God of Thunder”
• Luis “Lucho” Herrera: “The Little Gardener” (El Jardinerito)
• Emile Idée: “The King of the Chevreuse”
• Miguel Indurain: “Miguelón”, “Big Mig”
• Laurent Jalabert: “The Panda”, “JaJa”

Hugo Koblet

• Jan Janssen: “The Professor”
• José-Maria Jimenez: “The Bad One” (El Chaba), “The Little Bull” (Torito)
• Julio Jimenez: “The Watchmaker of Avila”
• Sean Kelly: “King Kelly”
• Ron Kiefel: “Wookie”
• Marcel Kint: “The Black Eagle”
• Hugo Koblet: “The Pedaler of Charm”, “le bel Hugo”
• Ferdinand Kubler: “The Eagle of Adilswil”, “The Nose” (Die Nase), “Ferdi”, “The Cowboy”
• Hennie Kuiper: “The Gentleman”
• Karl-Heinz Kunde: “The Flea”

Felice Gimondi

• Octave Lapize: “Curly” (Frisé)
• André Leducq: “Le Joyeux Dédé”
• Greg LeMond: “Le Monster”
• Freddy Maertens: “The Ogre”
• Sylvére Maes: “The Crafty Father” (Le Père futé)
• Antonin Magne: “The Monk”
• Fiorenzo Magni: “The Lion of Flanders”, “The Third Man”
• Robbie McEwen: “Rocket Robbie”, “Kangaroe van Everbeek”
• Eddy Merckx: “The Cannibal”

Francesco Moser

• David Moncoutié: “Moncoucou”
• Francesco Moser: “The Sheriff” (Sceriffo)
• Gastone Nencini: “The Lion of Mugello”
• Vincenzo Nibali: “The Shark”, “Nibbles”
• Andrea Noè: “Grumpy” (Brontolo, from the Seven Dwarves)
• Harm Ottenbros: “The Eagle of Hoogerheide” (De Adelaar van Hoogerheide)
• Marco Pantani: “The Pirate” (Il Pirata), “Elefantino”
• Eberardo Pavesi: “The Lawyer” (L’avvocato)
• Fabio Parra: “The Condor of the Andes”

Eddy Merckx

• Franco Pellizotti: “The Dolphin of Bibbione” (Delfino di Bibbione)
• Alessandro Petacchi: “Ale-Jet”
• Davis Phinney: “Cash Register”
• Domenico Piemontesi: “The Bowler” (Baslot)
• Leonardo Piepoli: “The Flying Trullo” (Trullo volante)
• Marco Pinotti: “The Engineer” (l’Ingegnere)
• Eddy Planckaert: “The Small One” (Die Kleine)
• Raymond Poulidor: “The Eternal Second”, “Pou-Pou”

Raymond Poulidor

• Domenico Pozzovivo: “The Flea”
• Ivan Quaranta: “The Leopard”
• Michael Rasmussen: “Chicken”
• Riccardo Riccò: “The Pharmacist”, “The Cobra”
• Bjarne Riis: “The Eagle of Herning”
• Jean Robic: “Old Leatherhead”, “Biquet”
• Joaquim Rodríguez: “El Purito”
• Tony Rominger: “The Mouse”, “The Hammer”, “The Camel”

Jean Robic

• José Rujano: “Coffee Man”
• Peter Sagan: “The Terminator”, “Rambo”
• Giuseppe Santhià: “Pinot”
• Giuseppe Saronni: “Goodwood rifle-shot”
• Paolo Savoldelli: “Babyface”, “Il Falco”
• Briek Schotte: “Iron Briek”
• Patrick Sercu: “The Flemish Arrow” (Vlaamse Pijl)
• Luca Scinto: “The Python” (Il Pittone)
• Oscar Sevilla: “The Kid” (El Niño)
• Gilberto Simoni: “Gibo”, “The Eagle of Palu di Giovo” (Aquila di Palu di Giovo)
• Tom Simpson: “Mister Tom”

Jaque Anquetil and Rik van Looy

• François Simon: “Spud”
• Mauricio Soler: “El Lancero”
• Andrea Tafi: “The Gladiator” (Il Gladiatore), “Il Taffone”
• Philippe Thys: “Fat Dog”
• Vicente Trueba: “The Flea of Torrelavega”
• Pavel Tonkov: “The Czar”
• Diego Ulissi: “The Little Train” (Il Pendolino)
• Jan Ullrich: “The Kaiser”, “Der Jan”

Greg LeMond

• Alejandro Valverde: “The Green Bullet”
• Wim Van Est: “Iron Will”
• Edwig van Hooydonck: “Eddy Bosberg”
• Lucien van Impe: “De Kleine van Mere”
• Rik van Looy: “The Emperor of Herentals”, “Rik II”
• Jac van Meer: “Jakske”
• Rik van Steenbergen: “Rik I”
• René Vietto: “King René” (Le Roi René)
• Alexander Vinokourov: “Vino”
• Thomas Voeckler: “Ti-Blanc”, “Le Chouchou”
• Rini Wagtmans: “Tufty” (Kuifje)