Christophe Laporte
Born on 11 December 1992 in La Seyne-sur-Mer, France, Christophe Laporte is a French professional cyclist who races for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. A powerful and versatile fast finisher who has matured into a Classics winner, Laporte is best known for his breakthrough 2023 season, when he won Gent-Wevelgem, Dwars door Vlaanderen and the European road race title. He also took a stage at the 2022 Tour de France and a silver medal at the 2022 World Championships. Find Christophe Laporte's latest results, stats and race calendar on this page.
Biography of pro cyclist Christophe Laporte
Christophe Laporte is one of the most complete fast men of his generation: quick enough to win bunch sprints, strong enough to survive the cobbled and hilly Classics, and selfless enough to be a key lieutenant to Wout van Aert at Visma | Lease a Bike.
After years as a reliable sprinter, Laporte's move to Visma transformed his career, turning him from a stage-hunter into a Classics winner and European champion. His story is also one of resilience, having battled back from a serious illness that wiped out much of his 2025 season.
Early life and rise
Laporte grew up in the south of France, in the coastal town of La Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon. He turned professional with the French team Cofidis, where he spent several seasons as a dependable sprinter and stage-racer, collecting wins across the calendar without quite reaching the sport's top tier.
The decisive move came when he joined Visma | Lease a Bike (then Jumbo-Visma). Surrounded by one of the strongest squads in cycling and working closely with Wout van Aert, Laporte found a new level, and a new identity as a Classics contender.
Breakthrough: the 2023 Classics and European title
The 2022 season offered a glimpse of his potential: a stage win at the Tour de France and a silver medal in the road race at the 2022 World Championships, where he finished behind only his teammate Van Aert in a Visma-led finale.
But it was 2023 that confirmed his transformation. Laporte won Gent-Wevelgem after he and Van Aert attacked on the Kemmelberg with around 52 kilometres remaining and stayed clear, Laporte taking France's first victory in the race since Philippe Gaumont in 1997. He added Dwars door Vlaanderen and then crowned the year with the road race title at the UEC European Road Championships, beating a field that included his own teammates in a tense finale.
A difficult 2025 and the road back
Laporte's momentum was interrupted by a long and draining bout of cytomegalovirus, an illness that wiped out most of his 2025 season and forced him to miss both the Classics and the Tour de France. He has spoken openly about it being the most difficult period of his career. He still managed to take the overall classification at the 2025 Holland Tour, and by the 2026 campaign was rebuilding his form with Visma counting on him once again for the spring Classics.
Rider profile: strengths, style, and characteristics
Laporte is a versatile fast finisher rather than a pure bunch sprinter. He has a strong, durable engine that lets him survive cobbled and hilly Classics, a fast finish from a reduced group, and the tactical intelligence to play either leader or lieutenant. That adaptability is what makes him so valuable to Visma: on his day he can win a Classic outright, and on others he is a perfect foil for Van Aert.
Personal life
A southern Frenchman by background, Laporte is regarded within the peloton as a level-headed, team-first rider. His willingness to sacrifice his own chances for the collective, and his openness about the illness that derailed his 2025, have made him a respected figure both inside and outside his team.
Records and milestones
- Gent-Wevelgem winner (2023), France's first victory there since 1997
- Dwars door Vlaanderen winner (2023)
- UEC European Road Race Champion (2023)
- Tour de France stage winner (2022)
- World Championships road race silver medal (2022)
- Olympic road race bronze medal, Paris (2024)
- Holland Tour overall winner (2025)
What's next for Christophe Laporte?
Fully recovered, Laporte's near-term focus is the cobbled and hilly Classics, where Visma | Lease a Bike will once again build around him and Wout van Aert. After a season lost to illness, the goal is straightforward: return to the level that made him a Classics winner and European champion, and add more of cycling's prestigious one-day races to his palmares.
