Going for Gold: Chloe Dygert, Jennifer Valente, Brandon McNulty and Team USA’s top medal contenders in the Olympic cycling events
The US national federation has set the ambitious goal of securing 7-10 medals; here are the athletes to contribute to the count
The countdown is on for the 2024 Paris Games. The opening ceremonies take place on Friday evening, and the first cycling event, the individual time trial, gets going the very next day. With it comes Team USA's first chance at a medal, and a gold one at that, if Chloe Dygert (Canyon-SRAM) has her say.
One of the fastest women on two wheels, the 27-year-old Indiana native is already a two-time Olympic medalist and nine-time world champion. She's making her third Olympic appearance and will compete in the individual time trial, the road race and the team pursuit.
With a bronze and silver medal already to her name, Dygert won't settle for anything but gold.
"I want to be better than the best," Dygert recently told news station WGRZ-TV. "That's how I have to look at it, or else I'm going to stand still. I want to continue growing as an athlete, as a person, and for me to stand on that top step, I want to do it bigger and better every time."
As the reigning world champion in the races against the clock, both on the road and in the velodrome, Dygert is a big-time favourite for the medals. However, her run-in to the Games was, as has so often been the case in Dygert's career, marred by setbacks.
Dygert suffered an Achilles injury in December and then returned to racing a tad too soon. The two crashes she sustained in the Tour of Flanders set back her recovery and she was once again forced to rest. The hits kept coming when, upon her return to the bike at a team training camp, she got infected with COVID-19. This has left her with a mere three race appearances this 2024 season, and a question mark looms over her race readiness.
Still, Dygert is optimistic, telling our sister site Cycling News that in her recent training block, she "started to break times that I hadn't broken ever and see power numbers I hadn't seen in a very long time."
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Should Dygert's form be anything like it was at the UCI World Championships in Glasgow last year, then the question won't be whether she'll win a medal but rather of what colour and how many.
But Dygert certainly isn't Team USA's only medal contender. There are 23 American cyclists competing across the five cycling disciplines, and the national federation has set the ambitious goal of securing 7-10 medals. Many are looking to track cyclist Jennifer Valente (Virginia's Blue Ridge TWENTY24) to contribute to that count.
The 29-year-old is America's most decorated track cyclist to date, with three Olympic and 18 UCI World Championship medals in her possession. The Paris Games mark her third appearance at the Olympics, where she hopes to defend her Omnium gold medal from the Tokyo Olympics while helping her teammates in the Team Pursuit net America's first gold medal in the discipline. Valente will also partner up with Lily Williams (Human Powered Health) for the Women's Madison, a race that made its Olympic debut in Tokyo, but Team USA missed out on the podium at the time.
In Paris, Valente, the current Omnium world champion, is heavily favoured to add to her already astonishing medal collection and be a crucial contributor to USA Cycling's Olympic goals.
Team USA's Olympic hopes sure appear to be landing on the shoulders of its female athletes with Hannah Roberts being another favourite for the medals in BMX. Roberts is returning to her second Olympics after netting the silver medal in Tokyo. The 22-year-old is a five-time BMX freestyle world champion, and known for her consistent performances in international competitions. When she won her most recent BMX freestyle rainbow jersey last August, it was her fourth consecutive title, and she's going into the Paris Games as a top contender.
While the men's roster may be lacking in outright shoo-ins for the Olympic medals, there's no lack of potential.
Reigning U.S. national time trial champion Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates) is leading the men's team on the road. He's making his second Olympic appearance after a stellar season in which we've seen him win on average once every six race days thus far.
In Tokyo, McNulty finished in sixth place –a result that he says motivates him still.
"The race was super aggressive, I relive it all the time. My goal? Bring back a medal!" says the 27-year-old.
With time trial victories at the Tour de Romandie, the UAE Tour and the U.S. National Championships, McNulty is certainly one to watch during Sunday's time trial. In the road race on August 3, he'll be teaming up with youngster Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) and Matteo Jorgenson (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) to form a formidable team.
Jorgenson is fresh off his impressive eight-place finish in this year's gruelling Tour de France while riding in service of second-place finisher Jonas Vingegaard. He even almost won a stage but had to make do with second place on stage 19 instead. The talented climber from Boise, Idaho, is in his first year with the Team Visma – Lease a Bike squad, with whom he has been enjoying a breakout season that's seen him win Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen and finish second in Critérium du Dauphiné. While bumpy, the course for the Olympic road race may not be mountainous enough for Jorgenson, who excels in the long, sustained climbs, but a medal could still come from this dynamic trio of riders.
Lastly, while the cross-country mountain bike fields are incredibly competitive at the Olympics, the U.S. men may have an outside chance to land on the podium.
Christopher Blevins (Specialized Factory Racing) is making his second Olympic appearance after finishing 14th in Tokyo in 2021. The 26-year-old from Durango, Colorado, had a great start to the 2024 season, winning the UCI World Cup in Brazil in April and landing on the podium twice in the short-track World Cup series.
His fellow Durangoan Riley Amos (Trek Factory Racing) will be joining him in Paris. The 22-year-old has been on a tear, winning five consecutive races in the U23 Cross-country World Cup series this season.
While the Olympic mountain bike races are contested by fewer riders than the World Cup –just 36 men and 36 women–the competition will be fierce with riders like reigning champion Tom Pidcock, fifth-time Olympian Nino Schurter and consistent XCO World Cup podium finisher Swiss rider Mathias Flückiger all vying for gold.
The Olympic Cycling Schedule
July 27 - Men’s and women’s time trials
Time: 2:30-6:30 p.m. CEST / 1:30-5:30 p.m. BST / 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. ET
July 28 - Women’s cross-country mountain biking
Time: 2:10 p.m. CEST / 1:10 p.m. BST / 8:10 a.m.. ET
July 29 - Men’s cross-country mountain biking
Time: 2:10 p.m. CEST / 1:10 p.m. BST / 8:10 a.m. ET
July 30 - Men’s and Women’s BMX Freestyle Qualifications
Times:
Women’s qualification rounds start at 1:25 p.m. CEST / 12:25 p.m. BST / 7:25 a.m. ET
Men’s qualification rounds start at 6:11 p.m. CEST / 5:11 p.m. BST / 12:11 p.m. ET
July 31 - Men’s and Women’s BMX Freestyle Finals
Times:
Women’s qualification rounds start at 1:10 p.m. CEST / 12:10 p.m. BST / 7:10 a.m ET
Men’s qualification rounds start at 1:44 p.m. CEST / 2:44 p.m. BST / 8:44 a.m. ET
August 3 - Men’s road race
Time: 11:00 a.m. - 6:15 p.m. CEST / 10 a.m. - 5:15 p.m. BST / 5 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. ET
August 4 - Women’s road race
Time: 2:00-6:45 p.m. CEST / 1:00-5:45 p.m. BST / 8 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. ET
August 5 - Women’s Team Sprint, Men’s Team Pursuit, Men’s Team Sprint
Time: 5 p.m. CEST / 6 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET to 7:58 p.m. CEST / 6:58 p.m. BST / 1:58 p.m. ET
August 6 - Women’s Team Pursuit, Men’s Team Sprint, Men’s Team Pursuit
Time: 5:30 p.m. CEST / 4:30 p.m. BST / 11:30 a.m. ET to 8:07 p.m. CEST / 7:07 p.m. BST / 2:07 p.m. ET
August 7 - Men’s Sprint, Women’s Keirin, Women’s Team Pursuit, Men’s Team Pursuit
Time: 12:45 p.m. CEST / 11:45 a.m. BST / 6:45 a.m. ET to 8:14 p.m. CEST / 7:14 p.m. BST / 2:15 p.m. ET
August 8 - Men’s Omnium, Women’s Keirin, Men’s Sprint
Time: 5 p.m. CEST / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET to 8:04 p.m. CEST / 7:04 p.m. BST / 2:04 p.m. ET
August 9 - Women’s Sprint, Men’s Sprint, Women’s Madison
Time: 6 p.m. CEST / 5 p.m. BST / 12 p.m. ET to 7:58 p.m. CEST / 6:58 p.m. BST / 1:58 p.m. ET
August 10 - Women’s Sprint, Men’s Keirin, Men’s Madison
Time: 5 p.m. CEST / 4 p.m. BST / 11 a.m. ET to 8:14 p.m. CEST / 7:14 p.m. BST / 2:14 p.m. ET
August 11 - Women’s Omnium, Women’s Sprint, Men’s Keirin
Time: 11 a.m. CEST / 10 a.m. BST / 5 a.m. ET to 1:56 p.m. CEST / 12:56 p.m. BST / 7:56 a.m. ET
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
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.
-
Forget distance covered, these are the key stats to note in your Strava Year in Sport
We asked a coach how to best analyse our end of year Strava data
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'She should show a bit more respect' - Lotte Kopecky responds to Demi Vollering comments
The pair seemingly had one last fractious year together at SD Worx-Protime in 2024
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Former Tour de France yellow jersey maker placed into receivership
Le Coq Sportif also produced kit for the French Olympic Federation during Paris 2024
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
‘So few people thought I could do anything with cycling. The Olympic medals validated that I should trust my gut more often’ - Kristen Faulkner reflects on her golden week in cycling
Team USA's female cyclists won 5 medals in Paris, Faulkner hopes these performances will 'put cycling back on the map for Americans'
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
'Superstar' Emma Finucane makes history with three medals at Paris Olympics
21-year-old leaves her debut Games with a gold and two bronzes
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Kwesi Browne 'walking and talking' after horror crash at Paris Olympics
30-year-old appeared to lose consciousness after a crash inside the velodrome
By Tom Davidson Published
-
'I don't have any regrets' - Meet the former British champion in the French squad at the Paris Olympics
Oscar Nilsson-Julien is a reserve at the Games, with his eyes on LA in 2028
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Team GB's track sprinters are wearing £11 golf gloves at the Paris Olympics
TaylorMade gloves are up to par for Emma Finucane and Katy Marchant
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Why aren't Team GB's cyclists staying in the Olympic village?
The British riders have been staying in a hotel near Versailles, 10 miles outside of Paris
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Overheating leads Ethan Hayter to change skinsuit and helmet during Omnium at Paris Olympics
'I was just getting way too hot,' says GB rider after eighth place finish
By Tom Davidson Published