CYCLING
Are there any American cyclists in the Tour de France 2024?
The days of Lance Armstrong “winning” the Tour de France are long gone, although there are high hopes for the limited American contingent this year.
Once upon a time, the United States appeared to be the dominant force in the Tour de France, the world’s most famous and prestigious multiple-stage bike road race. Lance Armstrong of the U.S. Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, “won” the event seven years in a row from 1999 to 2005 but was stripped of his titles after it was found he had used performance-enhancing drugs, which he initially denied for several years before confessing to in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.
Has an American rider ever won the Tour de France?
At the time, the Texan had been only the second American to “win” the Tour de France since its first event in 1903. Greg LeMond achieved the feat in 1986 and went on to triumph again in 1989 and 1990; only four men in the history of the event have won it on more occasions than the Californian.
When the next winner is likely to be, however, is tough to predict. Most cycling enthusiasts would probably agree that it is difficult to envisage anyone other than Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingagaard, Primoz Roglic or Remco Evenepoel winning a Grand Tour (Tour de France, Vuelta a España, Giro d’Italia), although that completely contradicts the fact Sepp Kuss of the United States was victorious in Spain just last year.
Why isn’t Sepp Kuss in the 2024 Tour de France?
Kuss’ triumph, however, was somewhat bizarre. A Visma- Lease a Bike (then Jumbo-Vimsa) teammate of both Vingegaard and Roglic, the Colorado native took an early lead in the three-week race and appeared to benefit from team orders (eventually) instructing his leaders to help rather than challenge him.
Kuss has played crucial roles in Vingegaard’s general classifications wins at the Tour de France in the last two years and would normally be expected to do so once again in 2024. However, he was forced to withdraw from the race at the last minute after catching covid-19.
American riders in the 2024 Tour de France
Matteo Jorgensen the “new” Sepp Kuss?
That means there are only three American riders in the year’s race - Matteo Jorgensen of Visma-Lease a Bike, and Neilson Powless and Sean Quinn, both of EF Education-Easypost.
24-year-old Jorgensen is in his first year as Vingegaard’s teammate and may play the “Kuss role” as the Dane’s chief lieutenant in the mountains (although the two-time champion has only just returned from a lengthy layoff and, in theory, shouldn’t be anywhere near top form).
Jorgensen finished 20th in the 2022 Tour de France and beat both Evenepoel and Roglic to win the week-long Paris-Nice stage race in March. Hopes are high that he could win a stage.
Could Neilson Powless or Sean Quinn win a stage?
Powless, the first US Native American to compete in the Tour, will be taking part in the race for the fifth time. The 27-year-old’s best finish was 12th, also in 2022, and he has frequently been involved in early breakaways in the last couple of editions, wearing the King of the Mountains jersey, awarded to the best climber, for 12 days last year. However, he ultimately finished 66th, his worst overall performance.
Teammate Quinn, 24, will be taking part in the race for the first time and will stand out for wearing the stars-and-stripes jersey given to the United States national road racing champion.
Despite that success in May, the Californian will likely to be expected to support more experienced riders, including Powless, although he may also have the chance go for a stage win, with EF Education-Easypost not having a general classification contender.