New Zealand cycling legend Nathan Dahlberg has reportedly died on a mountain in China.

Dahlberg, 59, started his professional cycling career with the 7-Eleven-Hoonved team in 1988 and rode in the Tour de France in 1988 and 1989

After retiring from racing, Dahlberg managed the Marco Polo Cycling-Donckers Koffie until it folded in 2012.

In 2015 he set sights on the world record for highest elevation cycled, but was unsuccessful.

United States Olympic cyclist Scott McKinley confirmed Dahlberg's passing on social media.

"Our 7-Eleven teammate and lifelong friend Nathan Dahlberg died today. Nathan lived life through a philosophical lens with a Buddhist view of the world, and there's a good chance he would have accepted this, strange though it may seem."

McKinley wrote that Dahlberg was a philosopher, not by choice but by necessity.

"He crafted a world view that allowed him to tolerate what he saw as the insanity of human behaviour. He was somehow both cynic and optimist.

"But somehow his optimism came through stronger; there was hopefulness in his cynicism. I think he expected more out of his fellow humans and was always a little disappointed, and so he cultivated an attitude that allowed him to accept that asymmetry which otherwise would have tortured him."

After his pro cycling career, Dahlberg invested time spreading his wisdom and wit to dozens of young minds, McKinley wrote.

"He spent time with his kids in New Zealand and traversed every [metre] and height of the South Island."

McKinley said Dahlberg died doing what he loved.

"His heart and soul were in the high mountains of Western China and the Himalayas. Somehow he mustered funding to make epic, Shackleton-style journeys to conquer the highest peaks in the region.

"I think he found peace among those snowy peaks. The mountains didn't move. The mountains were silent and wise. They spanned time itself, and climbing them didn't leave room for silly debate.

"And for Nathan, unlike in life, the goal in the mountains was finally clear: Ascend as high as you can, then see as far as you can see."