The farewell of Louis Meintjes went a bit like his cycling career: fairly quiet and without much fuss. The 33-year-old South African decided to end his career after the Tour of Lombardy, so it’s time to look back. In a farewell interview with Bici.Pro, Meintjes reflected once more on his time in the pro peloton.
Anyone who looks at Louis Meintjes’ list of achievements will conclude that the climber managed to realize several very beautiful cycling dreams. For instance, he won a stage in a Grand Tour (Vuelta a España), but Meintjes also finished in the top ten of the general classification in a three-week stage race five times. He placed seventh, eighth, and eighth again in the Tour de France.
In recent years, the South African was no longer able to reach this level. Is this the reason Meintjes decided to hang up his bike? Or is he a victim of the merger between his last team Intermarché-Wanty and Lotto? “I wouldn’t say that. There was always the possibility to look elsewhere. I’m sure many teams would have signed me. For me, that (the merger, editor’s note) was not the main factor in my decision to stop.”
Highlight
Now that Meintjes has said goodbye to the pro ranks, there’s time to look back on his career. “I’m quite satisfied. For me, results were never that important. If I didn’t win but raced a good race with a nice placing, that was also fine. I have won about ten professional races in my career, including some big events, but for me, it was more important to always give 100%.”
Meintjes as we rarely see him: as the winner of a cycling race – photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
What was the highlight of Meintjes’s career? “Winning a stage in the Vuelta (in 2022, editor’s note) is really amazing. It’s great to get a good result, but crossing the finish line first, that is something special. But what’s also very special is finishing in the top 10 of the Tour de France. An incredible result, although it really sinks in only later.”
Rest
Now Meintjes has closed his cycling chapter, the question is what he plans next. “That’s a good question, because at this moment I don’t know yet. I have no plans. First, I want to take some rest and really think about what I want to do. I need to unwind after more than ten years of a routine life.”
