Jorgenson and Faulkner to lead a strong Team USA at UCI Road World Championships

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 4 September 2024

USA Cycling today announced its rosters for the 2024 UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland, later this month.

Taking place between September 21 through 29th, athletes will compete in the individual time trial, road race, and team time trial/relay across the junior, U23, elite, and paracycling categories.

Faulkner is enjoying her best season yet. The 31-year-old Alaskan netted an early-season win at Omloop van het Hageland, a Grand Tour stage win at the Vuelta España Femenina, became the U.S. national road racing champion, and earned two gold medals at the Paris Olympics. At Worlds, Faulkner was nominated to compete in both the time trial and road race but opted to focus solely on the road race. All eyes will instead be on Dygert, the reigning world champion in the race against the clock. Due to an Achilles injury and a bout of COVID-19 in the spring, Dygert has only made seven road race appearances in 2024, but the two-time world time trial champion appears to be in good form. She, too, returned from the Paris Olympics with two medals: bronze in the individual time trial and gold in the team pursuit alongside Faulkner.

The two medalists will be joined by U.S. Nationals silver medalist Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health Cycling), Emily Ehrlich (Team Twenty24), Heidi Franz (Lifeplus-Wahoo), and former U.S. national road racing and current gravel champion Lauren Stephens (Cynisca Cycling). Forty-nine-year-old Amber Neben, a two-time world time trial champion, will make her 17th appearance at the UCI World Championships, competing in the time trial only.

On the men’s side, the road cycling team is led by Olympians Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Brandon McNulty (Team UAE), both coming off stellar seasons. McNulty had the honour of donning the first red jersey of the 2024 Vuelta a España (still ongoing) after storming to victory in the opening time trial. He also claimed time trial wins at the Tour de Romandie, the UAE Tour, and the U.S. National Championships, making him a favourite for the UCI World Time Trial Championship on September 22.

Jorgenson will be one to watch in the road race. The 25-year-old Idahoan impressed at the Tour de France, finishing eighth overall, despite riding in support of second-place finisher Jonas Vingegaard. He nearly won a stage but had to settle for second on stage 19. The talented climber has enjoyed a breakout season with his new Visma-Lease a Bike team, which has also seen him win Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen and finish second in the Critérium du Dauphiné.

Team USA at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships:

Kristen Faulkner in her new kit and on her new bike: both sport the red, white and blue of the US national road racing champion and a golden element for her Olympic Gold medal in the road race

Elite Men

Matteo Jorgenson (Boise, Idaho; Visma - Lease A Bike) - Road Race
Riley Sheehan (Boulder, Colo.; Israel – Premier Tech) - Road Race
Brandon McNulty (Phoenix, Ariz.; Team UAE) - Road Race, Time Trial
Sean Quinn (Sherman Oaks, Calif.; EF Education-EasyPost) - Road Race
Neilson Powless (Roseville, Calif.; EF Education-EasyPost) - Road Race
Kevin Vermaerke (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.; Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) - Road Race
Magnus Sheffield (Pittsford, N.Y.; Ineos Grenadiers) - Road Race, Time Trial
Quinn Simmons (Durango, Colo.; Lidl-Trek) - Road Race

Elite Women

Chloe Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.; CANYON//SRAM Racing) - Road Race, Time Trial
Ruth Edwards (Nederland, Colo.; Human Powered Health Cycling) - Road Race, Time Trial
Emily Ehrlich (Greenville, S.C.; Team Twenty24) - Road Race, Time Trial
Kristen Faulkner (Homer, Alaska; EF-Oatly-Cannondale) - Road Race
Heidi Franz (Seattle, Wash.; Lifeplus - Wahoo) - Road Race
Amber Neben (Irvine, Calif.) - Time Trial
Lauren Stephens (Dallas; Cynisca Cycling) - Road Race

*Kristen Faulkner and Taylor Knibb, the triathlete who won the US National Championships, both declined their Time Trial nominations.

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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 journalist for two decades, including 12 years in cycling.