Robert "Robbie" Owen Hunter (born 22 April 1977) is a retired South African professional road racing cyclist who competed professionally between 1999 and 2013. Hunter competed with UCI ProTeam during his final professional season.
Career
Hunter became the first South African to compete in the Tour de France, when he did so in 2001. In 2006, Hunter rode for in the UCI ProTour, but after their disbandment he signed for UCI Continental Circuits team for 2007. His achievements include winning stages at the 1999 and 2001 Vuelta a Españas, the 2007 Tour de France, and the overall title at the 2004 Tour of Qatar, as well as the points classification at the 2004 Tour de Suisse.
In 2007, Hunter returned to the Tour de France 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 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.
Hunter worked as the video assistant commissaire at the 2018 Tour de France.
Personal life Hunter resides in Arth, Schwyz, Switzerland.
Career achievements Major results Sources:
1999 Vuelta a España 1st Sprints classification 1st Stage 1 2000 1st Time trial, National Road Championships 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland 1st Points classification 1st Young rider classification 1st Stages 2 & 3 2nd EnBW Grand Prix (with Oscar Camenzind) 3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk 3rd Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen 2001 1st Tour de Rijke 1st Stage 17 Vuelta a España 9th Overall Ronde van Nederland 1st Young rider classification 2002 1st Stage 1 Tour de Pologne 2nd Overall Tour de Langkawi 1st Points classification 1st Stages 1 (ITT), 2 & 5 2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens 5th Overall Three Days of De Panne 6th Gent–Wevelgem 7th Road race, Commonwealth Games 2003 4th Tour de Picardie 10th Trofeo Cala Millor 2004 1st Overall Tour of Qatar 1st Stages 3 & 5 Tour de Suisse 1st Stages 3 & 5 Uniqa Classic 1st Points classification 1st Stages 1 & 3 1st Stage 4b Sachsen-Tour 5th International Grand Prix Doha 2005 1st International Grand Prix Doha 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Volta a Catalunya 1st Stage 1 Tour de Georgia 1st Stage 4 Setmana Catalana 1st Stage 5 Tour Méditerranéen 8th Trofeo Luis Puig 2006 African Road Championships 1st Time trial 3rd Road race 4th Overall Tour of Qatar 2007 1st Overall Volta ao Distrito de Santarém 1st Stage 2 1st Overall Tour de Picardie 1st Stage 1 1st Stage 11 Tour de France 1st Stage 2 Clasica Alcobendas 1st Stage 5 Giro del Capo 3rd Coppa Bernocchi 4th Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi 10th Milan–San Remo 10th Grand Prix Pino Cerami 2008 1st Stage 4 GP CTT Correios de Portugal 1st Cape Argus Cycle Tour 4th Memorial Viviana Manservisi 8th Overall Giro della Provincia di Grosseto 2009 1st Stage 3 Giro del Trentino 1st Stage 4 Tour Méditerranéen 3rd Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi 9th Overall Delta Tour Zeeland 2010 Vuelta a Murcia 1st Stages 1 & 2 9th Overall Tour Down Under 2011 1st Mumbai Cyclothon II 1st Stage 1 Tour of Austria 4th Mumbai Cyclothon I 7th Grand Prix de Denain 2012 National Road Championships 1st Road race 4th Time trial 1st Stage 4 (TTT) Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 2 (TTT) Tour of Qatar 2013 1st Overall Mzansi Tour 1st Points classification 1st Stage 2 8th Trofeo Platja de Muro
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Giro d'Italia——————————154—DNFDNF141 Tour de France——DNF97DNF—DNFDNF118106—DNF—DNF— Vuelta a España72——118—DNF—————————
+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish
References
External links
Cycling Base: Robert Hunter