There is less than a week until the start of the 2021 Tour de France and teams have already started announcing their squad line-ups with some American riders making the cut.
Only four riders from the US have been picked to ride the 108th Tour de France with neither national champion at the race. Road race champion, Joey Rosskopf rides for Rally Cycling, who aren't invited to race and Lawson Craddock (EF Education-Nippo) was not picked by the American team who only went for one rider from their registered country.
Each rider is at a different team with varying levels of expectations going into the race, with some being key support riders with chances of stage wins and good GC placings to riders likely looking to get into a breakaway.
Sepp Kuss
Sepp Kuss on the attack at the Critérium du Dauphiné 2021
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma) is probably the biggest name in US cycling at the moment due to his success as a support rider for two time Vuelta a España winner and Tour runner up, Primož Roglič.
However, he has shown that his climbing ability is one of the best in the world, with his time trialing ability potentially keeping him away from the team leader's limelight. Kuss has impressed once again this season with strong climbing performances throughout the season starting at the UAE Tour all the way up to the Critérium du Dauphiné.
Kuss will be the last man in the mountains for Roglič with Steven Kruijswijk, Jonas Vingegaard, Robert Gesink and Wout van Aert expected to be the build-up riders.
Brandon McNulty
Brandon McNulty in the yellow leaders jersey at the Tour of the Basque Country 2021
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Brandon McNulty has shown that he could be the next big general classification rider for the US as he has a very good time trial as well as an amazingly fast kick, which he has used on a few occasions to get surprisingly good stage placings.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The UAE Team Emirates man took the leaders jersey at the Tour of the Basque Country through a breakaway much to the surprise of the likes of Roglič, but he will be one of the key men for defending champion, Tadej Pogačar in the mountains.
Neilson Powless
Neilson Powless on the final stage of the Tour de Suisse 2021
(Image credit: Tim de Waele/Getty Images)
Neilson Powless is another talented young rider who shows a lot of promise in the general classification with a strong time trial and good climbing legs on his day. However, the EF Education-Nippo rider does look like he needs work on consistency as he yoyoed about at the recent Tour de Suisse.
Powless, who wore the best young riders jersey for a few stages in Switzerland, will be the key man for leader Rigoberto Urán as well as pocket rocket Sergio Higuita in the high mountains with potential opportunities for break success also coming his way.
Sean Bennett
Sean Bennett on the attack at the Critérium du Dauphiné 2021
(Image credit: Bas Czerwinski/Getty Images)
Sean Bennett is not as well known as the three above but he can still create some very exciting racing for a team that looks set to be in every break at the Tour.
Bennett, who is a bit of a puncher/Classics rider, will hope that he can maybe get into the breaks in the early stages and perhaps get hold of the mountains jersey. There are a few lumpy stages later on in the race that would suit him very nicely too for a potential stage win.
He doesn't really have a leader to support apart from maybe trying to set up Max Walscheid for a tilt in the sprints.
Canada also has three riders at the race with Israel Start-Up Nation leader Michael Woods being the headline name.
Other names are from the French-speaking side of the country with Hugo Houle lining up for Astana-Premier Tech and Guillaume Boivin joining Woods at Israel Start-Up Nation.
Check out our Black Friday bike deals main hub page if you're interested in snapping up a bargain in the run up to the Christmas holidays
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
