Robert "Robbie" Hunter (born 22 April 1977) is a retired South African professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most comm ...

who competed professionally between 1999 and 2013. Hunter competed with

UCI ProTeam UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

during his final professional season.

Career

Hunter became the first South African to compete in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

, when he did so in

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

. In 2006, Hunter rode for in the

UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle racing, road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, i ...

, but after their disbandment he signed for

UCI Continental Circuits The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

team for 2007. His achievements include winning stages at the

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

and

2001 Vuelta a España The 56th edition of the ''Vuelta a España'' (Tour of Spain), a long-distance stage race and one of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, was held from 8 September to 30 September 2001. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of , and wa ...

s, the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of Tour de France, the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and ...

, and the overall title at the 2004 Tour of Qatar, as well as the

points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points c ...

at the

2004 Tour de Suisse The 2004 Tour de Suisse was the 68th edition of the Tour de Suisse cycle race and was held from 12 June to 20 June 2004. The race started in Sursee and finished in Lugano. The race was won by Jan Ullrich of the T-Mobile team. Teams Eighteen teams ...

. In 2007, Hunter returned to the

as team captain of . Hunter won sprint stage 11, the first stage won by an African. Following the 2013 season, Hunter retired from professional cycling. Hunter was a

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' (, ) is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is seen as the equivalent to a field manager in baseball, or a head coach in football. At professional level, a directeur sportif follows t ...

for in 2014 and 2015. In November 2015 he announced that he was leaving the team in order to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his role as a rider agent for a number of African cyclists, including

Louis Meintjes Louis Meintjes (born 21 February 1992) is a South African cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the South African National Road Race Championships in 2014, and has finished 8th overall in the Tour de France, on 3 occasions in 2016, 2017 ...

. Hunter worked as the video assistant commissaire at the

2018 Tour de France The 2018 Tour de France was the 105th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The -long race consisted of 21 race stage, stages, starting on 7 July in Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, in western France, and ...

Personal life

Hunter resides in

Arth Arth is a village, a town, and a municipality in Schwyz District in the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The municipality consists of the villages Arth, Oberarth, and Goldau. The four settlements Rigi Kulm, Rigi First, Rigi Klösterli, and ...

Schwyz Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland. The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''. The of ...

, Switzerland.

Career achievements

Major results

Sources: ;1999 :

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...

::1st

Sprints classification ::1st Stage 1 ;2000 : 1st

Time trial In many racing sports, an sportsperson, athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial (TT) against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athle ...

, National Road Championships : 2nd Overall

Ronde van Nederland The Tour of the Netherlands ''(Dutch: Ronde van Nederland)'' was a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948 in sports, 1948. It was an annual race since 1975 in sports, 1975. Because of the start of the Union Cycliste ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Jersey white

Young rider classification ::1st Stages 2 & 3 : 2nd EnBW Grand Prix (with

Oscar Camenzind Oscar Camenzind (born 12 September 1971) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Switzerland. He became national road champion in 1997. In 1998 he won the World Road Championship and the Giro di Lombardia, in 2000 the Tour de Suisse and ...

) : 3rd Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

: 3rd

Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen (previously GP Rik Van Steenbergen) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Arendonk, Belgium. The race, paying respect to the famous Belgian rider of the 1940s and 1950s, quickly gained impor ...

;2001 : 1st

Tour de Rijke Tour de Rijke is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in Spijkenisse, Netherlands. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitio ...

: 1st Stage 17

: 9th Overall

::1st

Young rider classification ;2002 : 1st Stage 1

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne (; ), officially abbreviated TdP, is an annual, professional men's Race stage, multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km ...

: 2nd Overall

Tour de Langkawi The Tour de Langkawi is a stage race, multiple stage bicycle racing, bicycle race held in Malaysia. It is named after the archipelago Langkawi, where the first edition started and finished. The race has been held annually since 1996, primarily ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 1 (

ITT ITT may refer to: Communication *Tank phone, Infantry-Tank Telephone, a device allowing infantrymen to speak to the occupants of armoured vehicles. Mathematics *Intuitionistic type theory, other name of Martin-Löf Type Theory *Intensional typ ...

), 2 & 5 : 2nd

Grote Prijs Jef Scherens Tour of Leuven - Memorial Jef Scherens (until 2021 ''Grote Prijs Jef Scherens'') is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Leuven, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is ...

: 5th Overall

Three Days of De Panne 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...

: 6th

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

: 7th Road race,

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

;2003 : 4th

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

: 10th Trofeo Cala Millor ;2004 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Tour of Qatar The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the firs ...

::1st Stages 3 & 5 :

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse () is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France, which is on the calend ...

::1st Stages 3 & 5 :

Uniqa Classic The Uniqa Classic was a staged cycling race held in Austria. It was created in 1953 and was part of UCI Europe Tour in 2005 as a 2.1 event, but has not been held since. Its main sponsor was insurance company Uniqa, which the race was named after ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 1 & 3 : 1st Stage 4b

Sachsen-Tour The Sachsen Tour was a multi-stage road bicycle race held in the region of Saxony, Germany. It was first held in 1985 and wasorganised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour from 2005 until its final edition in 2009. Between 1985 and 1995 it was an ...

: 5th

International Grand Prix Doha The International Grand Prix Doha was a one day road cycling race held in Qatar. It was part of UCI Asia Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Interna ...

;2005 : 1st

: 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; Tour of Catalonia, ) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of the Basque Country. The race has had ...

: 1st Stage 1

Tour de Georgia The Tour de Georgia was a U.S. professional road cycling stage race across the state of Georgia. The race began in 2003 and was contested six times until 2008. It was one of the three events in North America ranked as Hors Classe ( 2.HC) stage ra ...

: 1st Stage 4 Setmana Catalana : 1st Stage 5

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

: 8th

Trofeo Luis Puig The Trofeo Luis Puig is a single-day road bicycle race held in Valencian Community, Spain. Originally named the Gran Premio Valencia, it was held annually (except for 1980) from the first edition in 1969 until 2005, in which year it was promoted ...

;2006 :

African Road Championships The African Continental Cycling Championships are a series of cycling races held annually in Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square& ...

::1st

Time trial ::3rd Bronze medal africa

Road race : 4th Overall

;2007 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Volta ao Distrito de Santarém The Volta ao Distrito de Santarém (Tour of Santarém District) was a multi-day road cycling race held annually in the District of Santárem, Portugal. From 2006 to 2008, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental ...

::1st Stage 2 : 1st Jersey green 2

Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 1st Stage 11

: 1st Stage 2 Clasica Alcobendas : 1st Stage 5

Giro del Capo The Giro del Capo was a road cycling stage race held in the vicinity of Cape Town, South Africa. The 2009 edition was held in the form of four challenges. The last edition, held in 2010, was ranked as 2.2 by the UCI and was part of the UCI Afri ...

: 3rd

Coppa Bernocchi The Coppa Bernocchi is a European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race held in Legnano, Italy. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organised as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before joining the UCI ProSeries in 2020. In 1 ...

: 4th

Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi The Gran Premio Costa degli Etruschi is a one-day professional cycling race between the towns of San Vincenzo and Donoratico on the Tuscany coast in Italy. The 193 kilometre long race takes place at the beginning of February and has now taken ov ...

: 10th

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

: 10th

Grand Prix Pino Cerami Grand Prix Pino Cerami is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Hainaut, Belgium. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before being cancelled from 2019 to 2022. Upon its return in 2 ...

;2008 : 1st Stage 4

GP CTT Correios de Portugal The GP CTT Correios de Portugal is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Portugal. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions ...

: 1st Cape Argus Cycle Tour : 4th Memorial Viviana Manservisi : 8th Overall Giro della Provincia di Grosseto ;2009 : 1st Stage 3

Giro del Trentino The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino () until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy. In 2015, th ...

: 1st Stage 4

: 3rd

: 9th Overall

Delta Tour Zeeland Delta Tour Zeeland was a road bicycle stage race held annually in June in Zeeland, Netherlands. In 2008, the race was organized as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour as the organizers of the one-day race Delta Profronde and of the OZ Wielerweeken ...

;2010 :

Vuelta a Murcia The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia () is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs. Originally the race was held in early March and consisted of five stages. However, due to Spain's fina ...

::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 9th Overall

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (currently branded as the Santos Tour Down Under for sponsorship reasons) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia. It is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and UCI Women’s WorldTour ...

;2011 : 1st Mumbai Cyclothon II : 1st Stage 1

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria () is a stage race, stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour ...

: 4th Mumbai Cyclothon I : 7th

Grand Prix de Denain Grand Prix de Denain is a professional road bicycle racing, cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before becoming a 1.HC event for th ...

;2012 : National Road Championships ::1st Road race ::4th

: 1st Stage 4 ( TTT)

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

: 1st Stage 2 ( TTT)

;2013 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Mzansi Tour The Mzansi Tour is a staged cycling race held annually in South Africa. It is part of UCI Africa Tour and is rated a 2.2 The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the world's governing body in the sport of bicycle racing, classifies races ac ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 2 : 8th Trofeo Platja de Muro

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

*
Cycling Base: Robert Hunter
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, Robert 1977 births Living people South African male cyclists South African Tour de France stage winners Olympic cyclists for South Africa Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Cyclists from Johannesburg South African people of English descent South African Vuelta a España stage winners Tour de Suisse stage winners Commonwealth Games competitors for South Africa 21st-century South African sportsmen