ANALYSIS: Who are the top 5 riders from North America in 2025?
Cycling
In recent years, discussions surrounding the state of North American road cycling have intensified to say the least. Towards the back end of last year, we delved into concerns about the sport's decline in the USA, the lingering effects of the Lance Armstrong scandal, the absence of American races on the UCI World Tour, and Europe's continued dominance over the USA in cycling.
These challenges have undoubtedly impacted the sport's landscape in North America, but is it all doom and gloom?
No, absolutely not. In 2024, we saw glimpses of the talented crop of American talent either emerging at the top of the sport or breaking into the pro ranks now. With that being said, in this article we’re looking at riders from across the continent of North America who are charged with returning their part of the world to the upper stratosphere of professional cycling.
So who are the best riders in North America?
1. Matteo Jorgenson
Judging by his performances last year, this first pick is a pretty obvious choice.
Matteo Jorgenson has rapidly ascended the professional cycling ranks, and last year was probably he showed himself as the most promising talent. After a stellar debut season with Team Visma | Lease a Bike in 2024, Jorgenson has set his sights on Grand Tour success in the future.
Jorgenson joined the team when they were coming off a clean sweep of all three grand tours in 2023, but it’s safe to say things didn’t plan out the same way last year. Whilst the team struggled with seemingly endless crashes and injuries, Jorgenson was consistently providing moments to cheer about for the team.
Just think back to the spring at Dwars door Vlaanderen when Jorgenson picked up a victory for the team on an otherwise bleak day for Visma, as Wout van Aert crashed hard and sat out the rest of the classics season.
Reflecting on his first year with the team, where he also won Paris-Nice, he described it as a "dream first season," emphasising his commitment to building upon that foundation this year. Jorgenson's ambitions are clear: he aims to secure a Grand Tour victory, a goal he believes is within reach given his current trajectory.
Beyond the Grand Tours, he's also eager to make his mark in the Spring Classics, showing he is by no means a one-dimensional rider. The American is certainly deserving a Tour de France stage win too, and he would already have one to his name if it wasn’t for the ridiculous form of Tadej Pogacar at last year’s Tour.
2. Derek Gee
Hailing from Ottawa, Canada, Derek Gee has emerged as a standout performer in the peloton, and he is immediately becoming a fan favourite.
The 27-year-old made headlines with his first professional victory on Stage Three of the Critérium du Dauphiné, and he then went on to finish third overall behind Primoz Roglic and Jorgenson.
Fast forward a month later, and his impressive ninth-place finish in his Tour de France debut further solidified his reputation as a rider to watch. Looking ahead to 2025, Gee has expressed a renewed focus on the Giro d'Italia, aiming to return in a different capacity than his 2023 appearance where he won the combativity award. Keep an eye on Gee in 2025!
3. Sepp Kuss
Sepp Kuss's unexpected victory at the 2023 Vuelta a Espana catapulted him into the spotlight, and we now know that this wasn’t necessarily what he wanted. However, the subsequent 2024 season proved challenging, as he could not help Jonas Vingegaard at the Tour due to COVID before he endured a miserable time in Spain, with Kuss finishing 14th in his Vuelta title defence.
So what on earth happened to Kuss last year?
Reflecting on the year, he acknowledged the inconsistencies in his performance and the impact of health setbacks. For 2025, Kuss plans to return to a support role, believing his true strength is in the role of a domestique. He stated, "I find the best version of myself when I start to help other riders," highlighting his commitment to team success.
We’re sure that Jonas Vingegaard feels that way too, given how much he missed his American friend whilst isolated against the might of UAE at the 2024 Tour. If Vingegaard gets Kuss back to full fitness this year, it will be a massive boost.
4. Neilson Powless
Neilson Powless stands out not only for his performances but also for his unique background as the first tribally recognized Native North American to compete in the Tour de France, making him more than just a rider.
After overcoming injury and illness in 2024, Powless regained his form in the latter part of the season, securing wins at Gran Piemonte and the Japan Cup. Looking ahead, he has set ambitious goals, expressing a desire to podium in a Monument and seize as many opportunities as he can in spring races.
Still, his quest for a grand tour stage win goes on. Will 2025 he finally ticks this off the bucket list?
5. Quinn Simmons
Quinn Simmons burst onto the scene in 2019 as the Junior World Champion, as he took the rainbow jersey in the race in Yorkshire. But he’s not quite managed to hit those heights yet as a pro.
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Despite facing challenges in maintaining consistency over recent seasons, Simmons has shown glimpses of what he can do. A notable ninth-place finish at the World Championships underscored his capabilities, even as he critiqued his own race strategy in the race won by Tadej Pogacar.
As he approaches the 2025 season, Simmons is focused on achieving consistent performances, aiming to translate his undeniable potential into significant victories. Sometimes it takes riders longer than expected to make things work in the professional peloton, and Simmons will be hoping 2025 is his year.
While North American road cycling has faced its share of challenges, the emergence of these talented riders suggests things are not as bleak as many make out. But, 2025 needs to be about more than just potential, and it’s time for the countries of North America to start racking up some more wins.
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- If we're playing the "what if" game - I'd go further back to Mads getting a puncture and possibly being a favourite to win the race. He would have likely beat Tadej and MVDP in a sprint at the Velodrome. He appeared to be one of the stronger riders who faced some bad luck. But, that's just cycling. Wout could have very well won Paris-Roubaix in 2023 if he hadn't punctured in the last 10km. I wish Tadej hadn't crashed or would've caught up so all these stories of how Tadej should have won wouldn't exist, I think MVDP was the stronger rider in this particular race.JBlake16-04-2025
- There might be some truth to Visma's psychology being hurt by last year's crashes. But, definitely - Itzulia was a boycott because of the Organizer's and comments made by them this year again proves it is necessary. The crash profoundly changed the course of the season for several of the top riders, yet they got blamed for not being careful, going too fast, or. not knowing the roads enough.JBlake16-04-2025
- Someone else may be able to give better local context, but I don't think these type of incidents only happen to MVDP - although, it does seem to happen more often to him. Eli Iserbyt had beer thrown at him earlier this year, or Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard had chips thrown in their face during last year's Tour de France. The common theme is alcohol between most incidents, combined with being outdoors for a prolonged period of time. MVDP is also not very well-liked by many Belgian fans for his success, particularly against a rider like Wout. It's likely a combination of today's society, alcohol, some dislike towards the rider, and just being stupid. Hopefully real consequences might dissuade others from doing similar things.JBlake16-04-2025
- Yeah, but MVDP actually isn't. If Pog goes up the road, it is his responsibility to run it down, and everyone knows he has the most to lose. It's just rare that anyone calls him on it.acem8216-04-2025
- In almost any other sport the culprit would be banished and banned from the event venue, either temporarily or permanently.. Giving the perpetrators of this terrible behavior a mere verbal warning accomplishes absolutely nothing, and is insulting to the riders subjected to these type of abuses as well.
santiagobenites16-04-2025 - Itzulia? Are you sure it wasn’t more a boycott? Didn’t see many others going who crashed last year, out of the dozen of the crash only Cras I think.Mistermaumau16-04-2025
- MVDP also had a late bike change, so in theory a chance for Pogi to reel some time back. But by that point MvdP was strongermobk16-04-2025
- l don’t live in europe, i live in southern california. can someone explain why this stuff happens to van der poel and seemingly ONLY van der poel? i don’t need anyone to say it’s wrong or awful or whatever. i’m looking for a real cultural explanation of this phenomenon from someone who has a much deeper understanding of the forces at play than i do. thanks in advance.OCexile15-04-2025
- A MVDP victory certainly did not seem "inevitable" before the crash, with TP, MVDP and Philipsen leaving the peloton behind.. Pogi attacked to drop Philipsen, with Mathieu understandably unwilling to help, and he was surely attempting to put MVDP on the limit later by attacking again, until the crash derailed his efforts. Still the gap was manageable, and he was slowly trimming it down, but then a mechanical forced him to change bikes and that was the final straw. Kudos to TP for making it exciting, rather than just a walk in the park for MVDP.FredMan15-04-2025
- nice idea, but as analysis point out over and over, mvdp is more willing than anyone to lose a race in order to win it. why do you think smart riders like wout, ganna and mads end up doing his dirty work over and over? because he’s almost impossible to manipulate.OCexile15-04-2025