With the Tour de France kicking off this Saturday in Florence Émilie-Romagne, American biking followers are daring to whisper the query: “Will an American win a Tour de France stage this yr?”
The final American to win a Tour de France stage was Coloradan Sepp Kuss who received stage 15 of the 2021 Tour de France, thereby ending a 10-year drought wherein no American rider ever made it to the end line of a Tour stage first.
Sadly, crowd-favourite “GC Kuss” is sidelined from this yr’s occasion as a result of a battle with COVID. Nevertheless, an American stage winner continues to be potential with California-native Neilson Powless (EF Training – EasyPost) on the hunt.
“I actually need to win a stage this yr. I nonetheless have not gotten one,” the 27-year-old stated.
Neilson is certainly one of simply three Individuals within the Tour with him, Matteo Jorgenson (Visma – Lease A Bike) and Sean Quinn (EF Training – EasyPost) making up the American contingent.
In 2023, Powless turned the first American to put on the Polka Dot jersey, and he hung onto that jersey for 13 days.
The Polka Dot jersey signifies the rider who’s at present main the mountains classification. Factors are awarded to those that attain the summit of every categorized climb of the Tour de France first. The tougher the climb, the extra factors provided.
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(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
For Powless’ fifth look on the Tour, his sights are set not on the climber’s jersey however on stage victory.
Regardless of a nagging knee harm stopping Powless from racing a lot thus far this season, he did seem in good type on the USA Biking Nationwide Highway Championships the place he helped teammate Sean Quinn take the street race title whereas Powless took house a bronze medal in each the street race and time trial championship.
Heading to the Tour, Powless stated he is obtained “excessive ambitions and massive objectives.”
“I feel this was in all probability the toughest yr I’ve had but with accidents and sicknesses…[but] Nationals and the primary half of the Dauphiné reassured me I’m again to a extremely excessive stage [of fitness] after the rocky spring,” Powless stated. “Profitable a stage is my in the beginning purpose [at the Tour de France], and I feel I’ve obtained the health to do it.”
In 2022, Powless got here near a stage win. He was even inside 13 seconds of the yellow jersey, so competing on the entrance of the peloton for a stage win is not unknown territory for the Californian.
And Powless will not be the one American with the potential of netting a stage win.
(Picture credit score: Getty Pictures)
Jorgenson will assist to fill in Kuss’ sneakers at this yr’s Tour, serving as Jonas Vingegaard’s righthand man — a hefty job for the Idahoan’s first Tour with the Visma-Lease a Bike group.
Jorgenson has loved fairly some success with the Dutch squad already, profitable Dwars Door Vlaanderen after a formidable solo journey, and turning into the third American ever to win Paris-Good race this spring.
For Individuals who’ve lengthy repressed their hopes of U.S. victories on the Tour since the times of he-who-must-not-be-named, we have got 21 thrilling levels and three thrilling riders to cheer for, starting this weekend.
