US Riders Face Long Tour de France Winning Drought

The drought of individual victories at the Tour de France for US riders reached 100 stages on Thursday, though it wasn't for lack of effort by the six Americans working across five teams in this year's race. The last US rider to savour victory at the Tour was Sepp Kuss five years ago. In 2021, he soloed to the win on a climbing day in Andorra la Vella on stage 15.

Kuss mentioned that his team, Visma, has been pushing hard throughout the race. "We've been going full gas on every stage, so there's quite a bit of fatigue - from speed, the heat. We're doing well as a team. It's never easy trying to beat a rival like Pogačar, but we're still in the mix. The toughest stages are still to come. We'll see," Kuss told Spanish outlet Marca TV on Wednesday.

Kuss and teammate Matteo Jorgenson represent a blend of versatile riders. Jorgenson may have opportunities to exploit breakaway stages, particularly if he recovers from an illness. Kuss, who won a stage at the Giro d'Italia in May, has now achieved stage victories across all three Grand Tours. The US has not had a significant presence in the Tour recently. In 2021, Kuss was one of only three US riders, while this year, the contingent again includes six: Kuss and Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Sean Quinn (EF Education-EasyPost), Matthew Riccitello (Decathlon CMA CGM), and Brandon McNulty (UAE Team Emirates-XRG).

In the race's early stages, US riders showed promise, with Simmons securing a podium on stage 4 and Sean Quinn finishing in the top 10 on two occasions. Despite these close calls, the winless streak persisted as the race moved into the climbing segments, which are traditionally more favorable for such a victory.

Simmons has been active in trying to contribute to team efforts, noted for his breakaway tactics to support teammate Mads Pedersen on stage 4 and engaging in attacks on stage 12. He expressed confidence in his ability to win a stage but acknowledged that everything must align perfectly for success. These riders primarily fulfill roles that support their team's overall classification leaders, including Simmons supporting points classification leader Mads Pedersen, and McNulty working for race leader Pogačar.

As Tadej Pogačar maintained control of the yellow jersey for nine of the first 11 days of this Tour, there is anticipation that US riders may be granted more freedom to compete for stage wins as the race progresses. McNulty, known for his climbing prowess, is likely to target stage 16, while Quinn, buoyed by his earlier successes, aims for optimal performance in upcoming rounds of competition.