best american tour de france riders

Meet the Americans competing at the 2024 Tour de France

A general classification win may be out of reach for the American riders in the Tour de France, but ending a three-year stage win drought is well within their grasp. 

Sepp Kuss, 29, was the last American to win a stage when he took Stage 15 of the 2021 Tour de France. The Durango, Colorado native is the best rider the country has seen in a decade. Last year, Kuss finished as the top American in 12th place at the Tour de France and won the 2023 Vuelta a España to become the first American Grand Tour winner since Chris Horner won the same race in 2013. However, although slated to be ​​Jonas Vingegaard’s top support rider for the 2024 Tour de France, Kuss withdrew from this year’s edition after testing positive for COVID-19 in the lead-up to the race. 

Greg LeMond remains the only American to have ever won the general classification category at the Tour de France, accomplishing the feat in 1986, 1989 and 1990. American Lance Armstrong won the Tour from 1999-2005 but was subsequently stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping by the International Cycling Union in 2012 .

So, who is left in this year's race to give the United States a shot at glory — at least for one stage. Here's a look at the three Americans competing at the 2024 Tour de France.

Matteo Jorgenson (UCI WorldTeam Visma-Lease a Bike)

Jorgenson, 25, is having a breakthrough season with an overall victory at Paris-Nice 2024 and a second-place finish at the 2024 Criterium du Dauphine.

Jorgenson is a strong contender in this year's race for the white jersey, which recognizes the best young rider under 26. A versatile rider, Jorgenson — alongside Kuss — is poised to be USA's best hope for a future Tour de France general classification winner. But for now, he will take over from Kuss to play the chief support role for teammate Jonas Vingegaard, who won the 2022 and 2023 Tour de France. 

This year will be Jorgenson’s third Tour de France. The Idaho-raised cyclist finished 20th in the general classification standings in 2022 and had to withdraw in 2023 due to injuries sustained in a crash along the route.

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)

A standout mountain biker during his young adulthood in California, 27-year-old Powless transitioned to the road and turned professional in 2018. 

Powless made history in 2020 as the first Native American to compete in the Tour de France. Since then, he has continued to improve and is coming off his strongest season yet with overall victories at the 2023 Grand Prix La Marseillaise and Étoile de Bessèges. 

In Kuss’ absence, Powless is the top American prospect for pulling off a stage win as he is known for his success with breakaways and aptitude at climbing. Last year, Powless led the King of the Mountain classification for the first half of the Tour but was ultimately edged out by Italy’s Giulio Ciccone. This year, he’ll be looking to finally secure the polka-dotted jersey by the end of the Grand Boucle . 

Hailing from Los Angeles, Quinn is a 24-year-old, up-and-coming cyclist riding in his first Tour de France to support Richard Carapaz, team leader of EF Education-EasyPost. Hot off a victory at the U.S. National Road Race Championships in May, Quinn is a strong all-around rider who excels at climbing and can produce strong sprinting kicks. Quinn will certainly be one to watch as he develops in the coming years.

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How did Americans do in the Tour de France?

Matteo jorgenson finishes in the top 10.

By Dennis Romboy

Tadej Pogačar pedaled away from his chief rival and the rest of the field in the big mountains of the Alps on the way to his third Tour de France win in five years, while an American placed in the top 10 for the first time in a decade.

Pogačar, of Slovenia, capped his dominating Tour victory Sunday winning the closing Monaco-to-Nice time trial, marking his third stage win in a row and sixth overall in the 2024 race. The Slovenian, who rides for the UAE Team Emirates, ended Jonas Vingegaard’s two-year hold on the title in the world’s most prestigious bike race. Vingegaard finished second overall, 6 minutes, 17 seconds behind. Pogačar finished second to the Danish rider in 2022 and 2023.

“I cannot describe how happy I am after two hard years on the Tour de France — always some mistakes — and then this year, everything to perfection. I’m out of words. Incredible. This is the first Grand Tour when I was totally confident every day. Even in the Giro I had one bad day but I won’t tell which one,” Pogačar, who won the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, said, per Eurosport .

“This year, the Tour de France was amazing. I was enjoying it from day one till here. Today, I felt super good over the first climb. I’ve done the climb so many times in training — I did not waste any of my preparations. Maybe some people thought the Giro was a safety net for me if I didn’t win the Tour. And for sure, it would have been an incredible year. But to win the Tour is another level, and to win both together, is another level above that level.”

Vingegaard stayed close to Pogačar through much of the 21-day race, thanks in large part to his Visma-Lease A Bike teammate Matteo Jorgenson, of Boise, Idaho. Jorgenson pulled Vingegaard, who hadn’t raced since a horrific crash in April, through the toughest stages, giving his team leader a chance to win.

Riding with the race leaders over much of the 2,173-mile course, Jorgenson finished eighth overall, the first time an American has placed in the top 10 since Teejay Van Garderen came in fifth in 2014. Riding in his third Tour de France, Jorgenson nearly pulled off his first stage win Friday in the Alps but Pogačar powered past him in the final kilometer.

Though disappointed after taking second on Stage 19, Jorgenson bounced back to finish fourth in Sunday’s time trial, solidifying his place in the top 10 overall.

“I didn’t let it get to my head and I just kept going full, really suffered and got everything out of myself and just relieved and happy to finish this tour,” he told reporters. “I really have a fire in my stomach to win a stage of the Tour de France. It’s been my dream since I was a little kid.”

Van Garderen, now an NBC Sports commentator, and others say Jorgenson could do more than just take a stage but is a future contender for winning the Tour overall. He won Paris-Nice this year, the first American to do so since 2006. He also won Dwars door Vlaanderen and finished second in the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Jorgenson was one of three Americans in the Tour de France. Neilson Powless and Sean Quinn finished 59th and 78th overall, respectively. Both ride for the EF Education-Easypost team. The race started with 176 riders and ended with 141.

Olympic cycling coming up

Jorgenson will go from the Tour de France to the Olympics in Paris next week. He and Magnus Sheffield were named last month to fill the last two spots on the U.S. Olympic road cycling team for the Paris Games. Both are first-time Olympians.

“The Olympics were always a part of my childhood,” Jorgenson said, according to USA Cycling. “I remember spending entire summers watching sports I had never heard of and admiring the athletes. For sure it had a big effect on me and was one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career as a pro athlete. Being able to race in Paris, especially following the best year of my career, is a dream come true.”

Jorgenson earned his Olympic spot at Dwars door Vlaanderen in Belgium, the only American man to win a top-level international one-day road race this season. He and Sheffield join Chloé Dygert, Taylor Knibb (who also qualified in triathlon) and Brandon McNulty on the Olympic team.

Dygert qualified by winning the 2023 World Championships time trial. Knibb and McNulty, who finished third in Paris-Nice, earned spots by winning U.S. time trial titles in May.

Americans racing the 2024 Tour de France: riders to watch and our predictions

Powless, Jorgenson and Quinn: meet the small but mighty US contingent

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The 2024 Tour de France gets underway in Florence, Italy, on Saturday, June 29, with a peloton of 176 riders spread across 22 teams.

This year, only three American riders are among them, but based on their strong performances of late, this small contingent holds great promise. As the tireless lieutenant for Jonas Vingegaard, Sepp Kuss had been on the roster for Visma - Lease a Bike but caught Covid and was replaced last minute by Dutchman Bart Lemmen.

 Here are the three U.S. riders competing in this year's Tour de France .

Matteo Jorgenson (Visma - Lease a bike)

If Sepp Kuss is considered Jonas Vingegaard 's lieutenant, then Matteo Jorgenson may just be his sergeant. The 24-year-old Idahoan is new to the Visma - Lease a Bike squad this year, but he has already proven himself a capable and versatile asset. He claimed the top step of the podium after an impressive solo ride at Dwars Door Vlaanderen and became the third American ever to win Paris-Nice this spring.

Despite his young age, Jorgenson is making his third Tour de France appearance. Expectations are high after his exciting performances last year, when he cleverly rode himself into several breakaways. And who can forget his stage nine performance? He captured the hearts of American fans that day, attacking solo and racing up the Puy de Dôme , only to be caught by the race leaders in the last 500 metres. Whether serving his team leader or hunting for a stage win, Jorgenson will be an exciting rider to watch at the Tour.

Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)

Matteo Jorgenson wasn't the only American flying up the climbs at last year's Tour.  In his fourth Tour de France in service of the EF Education-EasyPost team, Neilson Powless rode himself into the dotted King of the Mountain's jersey on stage two –the first American to wear the jersey since 2017 – and managed to hold onto it until stage 15, proving himself as one of the best climbers in the pack. 

Due to a nagging knee injury, we've seen quite little of the California native this 2024 season, though he did appear to be in strong form at the USA Cycling National Road Racing championship . Here, he helped his teammate Sean Quinn take home the title while he himself walked away with a bronze medal in both the national road race and time trial championship. 

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Whether he'll be going for another stint in the polka dot jersey or going for stage wins has yet to be seen. Either way, he'll be a rider to watch from the get-go, as the opening stage looks to be rather hilly already. 

Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost)

Twenty-four-year-old Sean Quinn will be making his Tour de France debut this year. Sporting his newly earned stars-and-stripes jersey, the U.S. national road racing champion will likely ride in service of E.F. Education's more senior riders, such as Richard Carapaz, Rui Costa, Alberto Bettiol and Powless.

Without a G.C. contender to challenge riders like Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogačar , the American team will focus on securing individual stage wins. As a strong climber with a powerful sprint, Quinn is well-equipped to contribute to his team's quest for its first stage victory since 2022.

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Cycling Weekly 's North American Editor, Anne-Marije Rook is old school. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter — in print! She can even be seen bringing a pen and notepad to the press conference.

Originally from The Netherlands, she grew up a bike commuter and didn't find bike racing until her early twenties when living in Seattle, Washington. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. As she competed at the elite level, her journalism career followed, and soon she became a full-time cycling journalist. She's now been a cycling journalist for 11 years. 

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Who are the North American riders in the 2022 Tour de France?

Kuss, Woods, Simmons, McNulty and Powless amongst seven US and three Canadian riders in the peloton

The Tour de France has long been the domain of the European riders and the peloton of 176 is still largely made up of riders from across the continent. This year, there are ten riders from North America in cycling's biggest event of the year, with seven from the United States and three Canadians heading to the big show.

That's an increase from last year's seven and from among them Sepp Kuss took the first stage victory by a rider from the United States in a decade.

Cyclingnews profiles the 10 North Americans who will be on the start line, and looking for more, when the race kicks off in Copenhagen on Friday.

Joe Dombrowski (Astana Qazaqstan)

It's hard to believe it but the 2022 Tour de France will be Joe Dombrowski's debut Tour. The winner of a stage in the Giro d'Italia in 2021 and 12th place overall in 2019, the 31-year-old has competed in the Giro seven times – including this past May – and the Vuelta a España four times.

Dombrowski made his name as a winner of the Baby Giro (2012) and Tour of Utah (2015). He started his career with Team Sky, spent five seasons with Slipstream's various iterations before moving to UAE Team Emirates. He made the switch to Astana Qazaqstan after two seasons, and supported Vincenzo Nibali in his fourth-place finish at the Giro.

How the American will fare in the Tour de France after finishing the Giro and Route d'Occitanie remains to be seen, but it won't be his first Grand Tour double: he raced the Giro and Vuelta in 2016, 2017 and 2021 but this will be his first back-to-back Grand Tour.

With a line-up missing a major overall contender, Dombrowski should be free to go in breakaways in search of stage victories or the mountains jersey. Astana's lineup, which includes Gianni Moscon and Alexey Lutsenko, seems more geared toward an attacking strategy as the team fights to keep its position in the WorldTour in 2023.

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Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost)

It will be Tour de France number three for Powless, the first tribally recognised Native North American to take on the French Grand Tour, and it has the potential to be his best yet after an impressive fourth place overall at the Tour de Suisse.

Finishing a Tour de France can change a rider. Finishing two even more so, and after the 2021 Tour, Powless turned around and smashed out his first major victory, winning the San Sebastian Classic from a breakaway.

Powless was on the attack again at the Tour de Suisse, missing out on a stage win at the hands of Aleksandr Vlasov (Bora-Hansgrohe). While the 25-year-old will ride mostly in support of the team's GC leaders, he will likely target a high placing overall as the team also needs to earn points to avoid losing its place in the WorldTour in 2023.

Antoine Duchesne (Groupama-FDJ)

The 30-year-old Canadian has been with Groupama-FDJ since 2018 but last raced the Tour de France when he was part of Direct Energie in 2016.

A former Canadian national champion, Duchesne has fashioned himself into a reliable domestique. He'll be supporting Thibaut Pinot and David Gaudu, the Groupama-FDJ general classification contenders. The French outfit left top sprinter Arnaud Démare behind to go all-in for a Tour de France podium this year, so look for Duchesne to be at the pointy end of the peloton when the breakaway needs to be brought back.

Hugo Houle and Michael Woods (Israel-Premier Tech)

The Israeli team with a Canadian sponsor brings two Canadians to the Tour de France in two very different roles. Michael Woods, the team's co-leader for the overall classification – along with Danish rider Jakob Fuglsang – and Hugo Houle, one of the team's main motors.

Houle came to Israel-Premier Tech along with the title sponsor after four seasons with Astana and will be competing in his fourth straight Tour de France. As a former Canadian time trial champion, Houle is frequently seen dragging the peloton along or jumping into breakaways.

Last year, he won the combativity prize in the Tour de France on stage 10 after being in the breakaway.

Woods, on the other hand, is the rider to watch when the road tilts upward. The 35-year-old came to the sport late from a running background, but has shown himself to be a major contender, finishing seventh in the Vuelta a España in 2017 and winning stages in the Tour of Spain in 2018 and 2020.

Woods won the Route d'Occitanie and a stage, showing he is on good form heading into the Tour de France.

Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)

Of all the North Americans in the Tour de France, the rider who will likely get the most television time is Sepp Kuss. The Jumbo-Visma rider won stage 15 of the 2021 Tour de France in Andorra, giving the US its first stage win at the race in a decade, and is one of the best climbers in the business. His talents are most often put to use in the closing kilometres of key climbs where he works to tee up teammates Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard, the team's GC leaders.

Kuss has also won a stage of the Vuelta and Critérium du Dauphiné. It will be the 27-year-old's third Tour de France and his eighth Grand Tour after four Vueltas and two starts in the Giro d'Italia. Maybe the third time will be a charm?

Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar Team)

Jorgenson, 22, will make his Tour de France debut with the Spanish Movistar team and will mainly ride in support of Enric Mas. It will be the second Grand Tour, after finishing the 2021 Giro d'Italia, for the versatile and talented rider who won the points classification at the Tour de l'Avenir before turning pro.

Since then, he's shown himself as a strong climber and sprinter, a rider who can roll in the breakaway and is consistent enough to finish high up in the general classification – an eighth place finish in the Paris-Nice last year is an example. The Californian has yet to truly come into his own and could turn out some surprises this July.

Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM)

Vermaerke is the second youngest of the North Americans starting the Tour de France this year and making his Grand Tour debut with Team DSM after he put in a solid ride at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

As a former winner of the under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it wasn't a surprise to see Vermaerke throwing down in the winning move on stage 2 at the Dauphiné, where he ended up fourth behind another Ardennes specialist Alexis Vuillermoz.

Vermaerke will be supporting Romain Bardet and has shown prowess in the mountains, in particular this year at the Tour of Oman. Team DSM like to race aggressively and the 20-year-old Vermaerke will undoubtedly be in a few breakaways.

Quinn Simmons (Trek-Segafredo)

Simmons, 21, is seven months Vermaerke's junior and is the youngest rider of the 2022 Tour de France. The rider from Durango turned professional after winning the Junior World Championships in 2019 and made waves in his first season with insensitive social media posts that resulted in him being benched by his team during the busiest part of the condensed 2020 late-season calendar.

Simmons has let his legs do the talking since then and won a stage and the overall Tour de Wallonie in 2021, finished his first Grand Tour in Spain last fall, narrowly missing out on a stage win from a breakaway on stage 19.

That result showed Simmons' body had matured enough to endure three weeks of Grand Tour racing and mountains classification victories in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour de Suisse this year were the results of relentless attacking. Expect Simmons to be equally combative on the bike in July as Trek-Segafredo aim mainly for stage wins at the Tour.

Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates)

McNulty, 24, will reprise his role as a trusted climbing domestique for defending Tour de France champion Tadej Pogačar this July. The Arizona native is racing in his third Grand Tour, having made his debut in the 2020 Giro d'Italia as UAE's GC leader, finishing 15th overall and coming second on stage 10 behind Peter Sagan.

Wherever Pogačar goes, McNulty will be there as his trusted helper along with fellow climbers Marc Soler and George Bennett. It's not the most glamorous role, getting bidons from the team car, but helping a teammate win the Tour de France is an experience any rider would relish.

And yet, McNulty can do much, much more as he demonstrated in Paris-Nice when he escaped solo to win stage 5, much as he did to win the Faun Ardèche Classic in February and the Trofeo Calvia in January. Whether circumstances will allow him to go for Tour de France glory remains to be seen.

Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.

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Analysing the key climbs of the Tour de France Femmes 2025

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Who are the best American cyclists in the 2023 Tour de France

We discuss the American cyclists to watch in the 2023 Tour De France.

The 2023 Tour de France will begin on Saturday, July 1. Not since the days of Lance Armstrong have we seen Americans being able to compete at cycling’s biggest race consistently. This year’s Tour de France tournament is expected to have between 160 and 176 riders starting, and only six are from the United States.

Having six participants this year is one less than in 2022, but it is still the second-highest number of American cyclists since there were nine in 2014. This year’s American participants are Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Lawson Craddock (Jayco-AlUla), Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar).

While overall wins are now very rare for American cyclists, they are struggling even to win stages of the race. Kuss is the only one in this group who has even won a stage, which came at the 2021 Tour de France. The last time an American won a stage was in 2011 when Tyler Garrar accomplished the feat. Powless, Simmons and Jorgenson have all come close to winning a stage, and all six Americans have that as the goal for this race. Obviously, winning the Tour de France is the ultimate goal, but a seemingly more attainable goal that would make their respective Tours would simply be winning a stage.

Vermaerke returns to the Tour after only lasting a week in 2022 before suffering a broken clavicle that eliminated him early. Craddock hasn’t participated since 2018, but he is expected to be a pivotal helper to the Jayco-AlUla team.

Opening odds for American cyclists to win 2023 Tour de France

Sepp Kuss: +15000 Matteo Jorgenson: +15000 Neilson Powless: +50000 Lawson Craddock: +100000 Kevin Vermaerke: +100000 Quinn Simmons: No Odds

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Odds to win the 2024 Tour de France

Tour de france results: who won 2023 yellow jersey who won polka dot mountain jersey who won green points jersey, tour de france, stage 21: start time, tv channel, live stream, course map, favorites to win, how much money does the winner of the 2023 tour de france receive, tour de france results: who won stage 20, who leads overall standings, more from draftkings network.

Tour de France results: Who won stage 18, who leads overall standings

Tour de france results: who won stage 2, who leads overall standings, tour de france 2023: how many miles is the cycling race, how long is each stage, tour de france odds heading into stage 1.

Welsh rider Geraint Thomas of Britain's Team Sky wins the 105th Tour de France

Geraint Thomas of the British Team Sky won the 105th Tour de France in Paris, on July 29, 2018.

The Norwegian rider Alexander Kristoff with UAE Team Emirates won the final stage of the race in a sprint finish.

The 72-mile run was the 21st and final stage of the weekslong long event that began with a 124-mile run on July 7.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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‘very special, very beautiful’: what do the riders and team leaders think of the 2025 tour de france routes, cavendish appears to leave door open to another tour ride, evenepoel weighs up ‘mythical’ course, and more..

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The route of the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift were made public Tuesday and while several key names were absent and are yet to make their feelings clear, the initial impressions given were upbeat.

Riders and team leaders have given a preliminary thumbs up, with the initial consensus being that the unveiled stages offered something to a range of riders.

Check out the route announcements here and here , and see those initial reactions below.

The Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift: ‘We go with the desire to win this Tour’

Evita Muzic (FDJ-Suez), fourth in 2024:

“It’s a very nice Tour for me, with beautiful mountain stages and no time trial.”

Stephen Delcourt, general manager of FDJ-Suez:

“We’re not going to hide our ambitions, we’re going to go to the Tour de France 2025 with a lot of desire,” he told Cyclism’Actu . “There are still a lot of stages before the end of July 2025, there is a whole season to build but we will go there with the desire to win this Tour. Demi [Vollering] is twice 2nd and winner in 2023, and Juliette Labous and Evita Muzic have been top 5. We can’t hide that with this trio, we want to go as far as possible towards this yellow jersey.”

Adam Szabó, sports director at Canyon-SRAM. (The team won the race this year with Kasia Niewiadoma):

“I think it is pretty similar to what we saw last year. We start with a little bit more punchy three stages in Brittany. We know this area pretty well from previous races. Especially the first stage. It is finishing in Plumelec and the final circuit can be familiar from the GP Plumelec. “Then going forward, there will be a few flat stages throughout France. When we arrive at the stages through the Massif Central, that will be I’d say the first difficulties of the whole Tour de France. Then the last two, three stages are really the mountain stages which will happen in the Alps. I think we can really look forward to the second-last stage, which is finishing at the Col de la Madelaine. “Generally I would say this type of terrain really fits for us, and for Kasia [Niewiadoma] as well. So I am pretty confident if we go there with a good team and without any illnesses and without any disruption throughout the preparation, then it can be a pretty good race for us.”

Alice Towers (Canyon-SRAM), helped Evita Muzic to fourth overall:

“I think it looks like a really nice course. It starts in Brittany and is nine stages this year. Again, it is back-ended with the mountains on the final weekend which always makes for an exciting finale. So we can start thinking about next year already.” About comparisons to the 2024 race: “It is not just the final weekend that is hard, it is going to be tough throughout, like in 2024. So again really heavy days each day. If we just keep the same approach we did this year into next year, we found the recipe for success.”

The men’s Tour de France : ‘The mountain stages seem beautiful to me’

Mark Cavendish (Astana-Qazaqstan), stage win record holder:

“I think every rider here who has ridden the Tour de France and the Tour de France Femmes Avec Zwift, you finish it and you think ‘I’m never doing that again.’ “And then a couple of days later you miss it. And you long for the buzz the year after, so…”

Asked about riding one more Tour next year and chasing stage win number 36:

“We’ll see…”

Remco Evenepoel (Soudal Quick-Step), third overall in 2024:

“It’s a very special but very beautiful course. The Grand Départ is not too far from my house and especially from Belgium. So, a time trial so early gives me a chance to take the yellow jersey in the first week, but won’t be very important for the general classification because there are still a lot of mountains and stages to follow. “The mountain stages seem beautiful to me with a lot of mythical passes to climb.”

Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty), green jersey in 2024:

“I had an incredible experience this year in the Tour de France, with three stage wins and the green jersey. In 2025, the Tour will be one of my big goals again, I will try to come back on top of my game to win. The possibility for a sprinter to win the first stage and wear the yellow jersey is a great opportunity for a rider like me. “There seems to be a good balance between stages for pure sprinters and others with a greater difference in altitude that suits me better. I noticed that the last week will be very demanding again, as in 2024. Attending the official presentation for the first time was a very special moment that makes me look forward to it. Until then, there is a long way to go with other great races and the classics campaign.”

“I’m already thinking about the start of the Tour de France in Lille,” Philipsen told Sporza . “There is a chance to win a stage and get yellow. It’s a unique opportunity and it’s a big goal right away. “The rest of the Tour also looks good for me, because as a sprinter you get maybe 7 or 8 chances.” “It’s not always billiard-flat stages, but that’s not necessarily bad for us. “I have to study everything in detail, but at the moment I can’t be dissatisfied.”

Sam Bennett (Decathlon-Ag2r La Mondiale), 2020 green jersey:

“The route looks quite good. I think there are seven sprints, that’s good. It looks like the first week doesn’t have as much altitude meters [as 2024], but they certainly make up for it later in the race. “It’s great to see the Champs Elysees back in the Tour de France. It gives something for the sprinters to go for at the end. It is just iconic with the race, isn’t it? “All the sprints should suit me. You never know with other stages, it depends on how well you are climbing and how the race unfolds. But it should be seven.”

Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlULa), six time Tour stage winner:

“You automatically think about the yellow jersey,” he told Wielerflits . “You don’t get that much chance as a sprinter. The opening ride is flat and therefore a chance, but of course you have to cross the finish line first. That is the first goal. “The yellow jersey is not necessarily an extra dimension. I try not to think too much about it. I have not done that in the past. It’s just a sprint stage and you want to win it, and that’s where the yellow jersey comes in. That’s a great thing. It’s very nice for a sprinter to start this way. Actually it can’t be better.” “I definitely feel the Tour vibe after today. I have just been on vacation in Dubai for three weeks. Now we are back and I started training again. “Then you notice: I’m really looking forward to it. You look at your goals a bit and that includes the Tour. We are going for a stage anyway. It would be very nice if it was the first stage, but winning a stage is the first goal.”

Valentin Madouas (Groupama-FDJ), silver medalist in Olympic road race:

“I think it’s a very beautiful route that’s open to all. There are really very big mountain stages and that has made a bit of an impression on all of the riders present. When you see more than 5,500 meters of elevation, you think that these are really going to be very difficult stages. “What I remember above all is that there will be a little more stages for baroudeurs [breakaway specialists – ed.] than in recent years. The first week doesn’t seem that hard, which will allow many teams to try new things. “As there is no very difficult start, there is often a lot of tension in the peloton. As the hierarchy will not yet be made in the general classification, there is a risk of a lot of crashes, of mechanical problems. Every team will want to be in the front and that could cause a nice show. This is what will make a difference over this first week compared to the last editions where the gaps have been made from the beginning. “There may be big fights for the breakaways. That could be hyper-interesting because there will surely be changes in yellow jersey on arrival. I think that was in some small way the goal that the organizers wanted: to have sprinters, but also why not baroudeurs or punchers who can grab the yellow jersey with very little distance. “I think this Tour is really scary because (after the first week), there’s a quick, I think, chain of seven high mountain stages. I also saw that there will be very long transfers at the end of the first week that will tire the peloton. Mine of nothing, instead of having nine stages before the first day of rest, it will take place on the first Tuesday. As a result, the riders will be very tired before starting the high mountain. “

Patrick Lefevere (general manager at Soudal-QuickStep):

About Remco Evenepoel’s chances: “The Tour still has to be ridden,” he told Sporza .

About the relatively low number of time trial kilometers: “Yes, but Remco can also ride uphill. That number of kilometers doesn’t seem like much, but you don’t lose or win the Tour there. I think there’s something to it.”

About Evenepoel saying he will work harder in the mountains:

“He doesn’t have to attack himself, he just has to lose less time.” “In one of the stages in the last Tour, he lost a few minutes. I don’t see that happening anymore. He’s a year older. “But the danger is around every corner. In the Tour you have to stay calm for three weeks. What he did this year was a bit anti-Remco, but he was third.”

Rolf Aldag (chief of sports at Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe):

“On the Tour you have to distinguish between what is difficult and what is hard. The first part of the tour is difficult because there can be a lot of wind in the north of France and it can be very technical. I’m happy to be back in the north – it’s always a great atmosphere. “Before the first rest day, and even more so in the Pyrenees, there is a change from ‘difficult’ to ‘hard’. It’s relatively late, but then it gets really tough. These outstanding stages after the mountain time trial are really hard ones, with almost 5000 metres of climbing. And then it stays tough. Because then we ride into the heat and because then we have a chance of wind. “Then it’s on to the Alps and we’re talking again about really, really hard stages. The 18th stage with over 5000 metres of elevation is super hard and the day after that there is another tough mountain stage. These days are only for the best. “On the other hand, the 20th stage has been toned down compared to previous editions, only to end with the Sprint Royale in Paris. I’m happy about that too, because somehow the finale of the Tour belongs in Paris. “Conclusion: It’s not the hardest Tour of all time, but within this Tour there are brutally difficult stages and there is this very, very technical start. We will now look at the route in detail, wait for the Giro presentation in a few weeks and then decide how to position ourselves.”

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Who Are the North Americans in the Tour de France Femmes?

Here’s a look at the North Americans competing in the this year’s race.

There are three American riders and six Canadians in the pro peloton in the Tour de France Femmes this year, and they’re the best of the best. If you haven’t been able to pick out the riders from North America who are on the start line, here’s the breakdown:

Coryn Labecki, Jumbo-Visma

After winning the crit at U.S. Road Nationals last month —her 73rd national title (you read that right, 73rd)—Labecki is firing on all cylinders, and lit up Stage 3 of the Tour . She was one of the few riders who worked to chase down the early breakaway from Katherin Hammes.

Unfortunately, a crash caused her to drop back and she finished just over eight minutes down from the leaders, effectively taking away any chances of GC greatness for this year’s race. But she did scoop up some sprint points for her efforts, and assuming she was okay after her crash, she may still light up another stage this week.

Veronica Ewers, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

Ewers made headlines with her fantastic Giro Donne just a couple of weeks ago, finishing fourth overall after a solid week of racing, which included a second place finish in one stage.

At the moment, she’s sitting just over a minute down in the GC at the Tour de France Femmes with less than 10 seconds separating her from the top 5, so she could still easily move up in the standings, especially since climbing is her speciality and there are some bigger climbing days ahead.

Megan Jastrab, dsm-firmenich

The young 21-year-old rider is more well-known for her single-day race results including her second place at Gent-Wevelgem this season.

But she’s also a solid domestique for dsm-firmenich in the Tour, working for Juliette Labous—who had a great Giro Donne but seems to be struggling a bit to find her footing in this race—and Charlotte Kool, who had a solid result on Stage 1 but has since faded into the pack a bit.

Alison Jackson, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

It’s no surprise that 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes winner Alison Jackson is racing in the Tour this year. The Canadian National Champion is well known for her post-race dance moves on TikTok, but also for her ability to lay it on the line in a breakaway and in a sprint finish.

She was also sixth at Worlds back in 2021. This year at the Tour, she crashed in Stage 2 but was quickly back up and on her bike... and in her usual fashion, positive about it .

Sara Poidevin, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

Poidevin is currently sitting 58th, just under 7 minutes down from the leaders at the Tour—solid for a rider who’s in her first season racing on the Women’s WorldTour after transitioning from the Rally Health continental team this year.

She’s had some great results in the U.S., but this marks her first season truly in the Euro racing mix.

Magdeleine Vallieres, EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

The EF Education-TIBCO-SVB squad can often be seen at the front of the pack, and often that means domestiques like Vallieres are able to shine (and get some great photos).

The 21-year old is in her second season as a pro, and has already proven to be a valuable asset to her teammates throughout her short time on the squad. Look for her at the sharp end of the peloton, working for her team.

Clara Emond, Arkéa Pro Cycling Team

With a second overall in the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas this season, Emond is no stranger to stage racing. The young rider is on one of the few continental teams that was invited to race at the 2023 Tour de France Femmes , and had a solid first two stages towards the front of the pack.

Gabrielle Pilote Fortin, Cofidis Women Team

Pilote Fortin has been racing professionally since 2014, and you could call her a super-domestique at this point. Unfortunately, this year, she’s been sick for the first few stages of the Tour, and while she’s finishing each stage, it’s been a struggle. Here’s hoping she can rally for the rest of the week!

Simone Boilard, Team St Michel - Mavic - Auber93

Boilard is another rider whose continental team—Team St Michel - Mavic - Auber93—made it into the 2023 Tour de France Femmes. But she finished 22nd in Stage 3 and is currently sitting in 35th in the GC, 3:15 back from the leaders, so while she likely isn’t a contender for the overall win, don’t underestimate her!

Molly writes about cycling, nutrition and training with an emphasis on bringing more women into sport. She's the author of nine books including the Shred Girls series and is the founder of Strong Girl Publishing . She co-hosts The Consummate Athlete Podcast and spends most of her free time biking and running on trails, occasionally joined by her mini-dachshund.

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