Team USA’s Top Cycling Medal Contenders

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Starting Friday, July 26, thirteen women and ten men from the United States will compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris across the disciplines of road, mountain bike, BMX, and track cycling. Who are we rooting for, what are they wearing, and who could bring home the medals that USA Cycling is counting on? Let’s dive in.

Road Race

Schedule & Results

Top medal contenders: Kristen Faulkner and Matteo Jorgenson

The Olympic Road Race is always just a little weird. It’s not like other road races for two reasons: Riders don’t have their usual teammates to work for/with them, and race radios aren’t allowed. (See: 2021 when Annemiek van Vleuten mistakenly celebrated, assuming she had won, when in fact, Austrian mathematician—seriously—Anna Kiesenhofer had soloed to victory minutes up the road.)

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Kristen Faulkner

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Matteo Jorgenson

But that also means there are riders who otherwise wouldn’t be top picks for the medal who might just make it. Jorgenson has served as Visma-Lease a Bike’s helpmate for Jonas Vingegaard all July. And despite being in that position, he still managed to finish in the top ten in the Tour de France, which is honestly an impressive feat since, more often than not, riders get cracked after a week or two of working hard for the sake of their team leader. So without the pressure to lead out Vingegaard, there’s a chance that Jorgenson could have a spectacular Olympic race… especially if the other American in the race is willing to work with him.

In the women’s race, Faulkner has proved she’s great at one-day races with impressive results this season, including a win at Omloop van het Hageland and a strong sixth place at Strade Bianche. She absolutely has medal potential in this race, especially since she’s well-known for her ability to work with team directors but also attack when the moment feels right for her. She has great instincts, and this can be the perfect chance to use them.

Rider to watch: Magnus Sheffield

I alluded to Sheffield when talking about Jorgenson’s chances. Both riders are young, strong, and used to playing second fiddle to the likes of Vingegaard and Tom Pidcock. This is a chance to get out of their shadow, and there’s a chance that Team USA will be willing to work together to make magic happen.

Individual Time Trial (ITT)

Men’s Schedule Women’s Schedule ITT Preview & How to Watch

Top medal contender: Chloé Dygert

The reigning ITT world champion is one of the top US medal contenders this year. She’s had some minor injury issues that have plagued her season thus far, but she said it herself: “Winning is an expectation for me.”

Ethan Glading

Rider to watch: Brandon McNulty

McNulty is a time trial specialist: He’s the reigning national champion and, this year, won the ITT in the UAE Tour and the Tour of Romandie—and was fourth at the World Championships in Glasgow last year. He has medal potential—but hasn’t raced since US Nationals (similar to Dygert, who hasn’t raced since the spring), so it’s still a question mark how he’ll go against some of the guys who haven’t stopped racing yet this season.

Cross-Country Mountain Biking

Schedule & Results

Top medal contenders: Christopher Blevins and Haley Batten

Both Blevins and Batten are heading into their second Olympic Games, which gives them both an edge since they’ll be more comfortable with the Olympic village, the schedule, and even the style of racing.

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Christopher Blevins

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Haley Batten

Olympic cross-country (XCO) is very similar to the standard MTB World Cup races, but it does have a smaller field and arguably higher stakes. Blevins has a world champion title to his credit as well as a win at the World Cup in Brazil this season, and Batten has had three World Cup XCO podiums so far in 2024, including one win.

Additionally, Savilia Blunk, the other American woman competing, has scored two podium finishes this season and is a contender.

Honestly, if you pick one discipline to watch this Olympic cycle, I humbly suggest the women’s mountain bike race.

Rider to watch: Riley Amos

When it comes to Amos, it’s always interesting to note the young riders who get selected for the team. Amos is one of the younger riders who will be part of Team USA at only 22 years old. That makes him a wild card in the elite race since he normally races in the U23 field. He’s had some stellar results in the U23s, including five World Cup wins this season. While Amos likely won’t be a medal contender this year, he certainly will gain important Olympic experience so that if he continues on his current trajectory, 2028 will have serious potential.

Track Cycling

Schedule & Results

Top medal contender: Jennifer Valente

Team USA is only putting racers into the Team Pursuit, Madison, and Omnium events this year and only fielding a few riders, including past gold medalist Valente, who will be paired with Lily Williams for the Madison, then joined by four other women (including Dygert and Faulkner) for the team pursuit, where they stand a good chance of going home with the gold.

Sarah Reed//Getty Images

Jennifer Valente, Lily Williams, Olivia Cummins, and Kristen Faulkner during the 2024 Track Nations Cup at the Adelaide Super-Drome on February 02, 2024, in Adelaide, Australia.

BMX

Schedule & Results

Top medal contender: Hannah Roberts

When it comes to freestyle BMX, Roberts is arguably the GOAT—and just narrowly missed out on the gold in Tokyo. She’s the reigning (and five-time) World Champ, though, and is almost certainly seeking vengeance in this year’s Games. The UCI social media team recently referred to her current form as “ominous” for the Olympic Games. As the women’s freestyle competition gets bigger and better, she’ll have a harder time with stiffer competition, but that’s a good thing for women’s sport.

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Hannah Roberts

Rider to watch: Alise Willoughby

We adore that at 33 years old, Willoughby is still racing BMX—often considered a young rider’s game—and that this is her fourth Olympic cycle. That deserves serious kudos and celebration. Her nickname is The Beast. That also deserves a round of applause. She scored the silver medal in the Rio Olympics in the BMX race, while in Tokyo, a crash took her out in the qualifying round. Will she make a comeback this year? We’re not betting against her.

Lastly, an important question…

What do we think of the Ralph Lauren “casual wear” for Team USA? It feels a little too preppy for the cycling scene, personally. And Blunk and Batten seem to be forcing us to choose between the millennial or Gen Z sock height.

Joe Scarnici//Getty Images