Taylor Knibb confirms double duty alongside world champion Chloé Dygert, as USA Cycling announces road cycling team for Paris 2024

Triathlete extraordinaire Taylor Knibb is set to perform double duty for the United States of America after her selection to the road cycling team for Paris 2024. She will line up alongside time trial world champion Chloé Dygert in both the women’s road race and time trial, while a trio of rising stars will don the red, white and blue for the men’s road race.

Brandon McNulty will return to the Olympic Games to try and win the medal that slipped out of his grasp in the final kilometers of the Tokyo 2020 road race. He will be joined by Magnus Sheffield and Matteo Jorgenson, a pair of promising young riders.

Sheffield and McNulty will also enter the men’s time trial, attempting to become the first American riders to win a medal in the event since Levi Leipheimer won bronze at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008.

Team USA road cyclists will be keen to win a medal of any color after returning home without a single medal from the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Read on to learn more about the riders representing Team USA in road cycling at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.

Meet the dynamic duo representing Team USA in women’s road cycling

Taylor Knibb will be busy during her time in Paris. Her Olympic double will begin with the women’s time trial on 27 July, which finishes at the Pont Alexandre III bridge. If she’s not too focused on racing the clock, she will get a unique chance to scout the venue for her next endeavor: the women’s individual triathlon.

Knibb will trade in her cycling shoes and don a swimming cap for the start of the women’s individual triathlon at Pont Alexandre III bridge on 31 July. The Olympic silver medalist in the triathlon will cycle and run around the surrounding area, exploring even more of Paris before earning a few days of rest before the women’s road race on 4 August. If she’s not too tired after the road race, she could be called in to join the Team USA triathlon team for the mixed relay on 5 August.

While she has relatively little experience in top level cycling races, her years of endurance training for triathlon have left her uniquely equipped to tackle such a daunting task at the Olympic Games. She recently won the time trial held as part of the USA Cycling Pro Road Championships in Charleston, West Virginia.

“I’m very honored, grateful, and excited for the opportunity to represent Team USA with USA Cycling,” Knibb said to USA Cycling. “It would not have been possible without the support of my amazing family, friends, coaches, manager, sponsors, and USA Triathlon.” She added, “Cycling has a very steep learning curve, and I am simultaneously excited and nervous for what lies ahead.”

Thankfully, she will be able to call on the expertise of her teammate, time trial world champion Chloé Dygert.

Dygert will pursue a double of her own in Paris, splitting her time between the road and the velodrome. She will line up for the time trial of 27 July, train and rest in between the road race on 4 August, and then turn her attention to the team pursuit from 6-7 August.

A tiring schedule, Dygert will push herself to the limit on multiple occasions as she chases Olympic glory. She will likely concentrate much of her effort on the women’s time trial, however, as she will enter the event as the favorite to win gold after claiming victory at the 2023 world championships.

She told USA Cycling, “I am truly blessed to be selected for my third Olympic Games in USA colors. Thankful for those who go above and beyond behind the scenes to make sure I’m the best I can be on and off the bike. We will see you in Paris.”

Meet the American men ready to take on the world in road cycling

It was only three years ago when Brandon McNulty found himself ahead of the world’s best cyclists, along with Olympic champion Richard Carapaz of Ecuador, after a daring breakaway move on the final descent towards the finish line of the Tokyo 2020 road race. He found the pace unsustainable, however, and was caught by the chasing pack before the finish line, leaving him without a medal following his valiant effort in Tokyo.

The 26-year-old from Phoenix, Arizona has accumulated many accolades in the years following that race, including stage wins at the Giro d’Italia, Paris-Nice and UAE Tour. With his selection to the US road cycling team, he will get a chance to avenge his Olympic loss in Paris.

McNulty will enter the time trial as a medal prospect after a fourth place finish at the 2023 UCI Road Cycling World Championships, and recent stage wins at the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice. His climbing and attacking abilities will make him a double threat in the road race.

He told USA Cycling, “I was really excited to go to the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. That top result – 6th in the road race – just motivates me all the more. The race was super aggressive, I relive it all the time. At home in Arizona and Girona, I'm already training with 100% focus on Paris. My goal? Bring back a medal!"

McNulty will be joined in the road race by Magnus Sheffield, who will look to continue a phenomenal comeback season following a horrific crash that left him hospitalized and sidelined from the second half of the 2023 season.

The 22-year-old from Pittsford, New York recently completed his first Grand Tour, the 2024 Giro d’Italia, finishing 20th in the young rider classification. He singled out competing at the Olympic Games as one of his main goals for the 2024 season.

“It feels like a dream come true,” Sheffield told USA Cycling. “Going to the Olympics was one of my biggest goals growing up. I’m incredibly proud to represent the U.S. in Paris as well as all the people that have helped me along the way. I don’t think it will fully sink in until I’m there.”

The Olympics also left an indelible mark on a young Matteo Jorgenson, who told USA Cycling, “The Olympics were always a part of my childhood. I remember spending entire summers watching sports I had never heard of and admiring the athletes. For sure it had a big effect on me and was one of the reasons I decided to pursue a career as a pro athlete. Being able to race in Paris, especially following the best year of my career, is a dream come true.”

The 24-year-old from Boise, Idaho will represent Team USA in the road race and time trial. An all-around rider, he will be a tough competitor in both events.

Jorgenson became only the third American rider to win Paris-Nice earlier this season, before adding a victory at Dwars door Vlaanderen to his resume. He also finished second behind Tokyo 2020 time trial champion Primož Roglič at the recently completed Critérium du Dauphiné. He will race across Italy and France, competing in the Tour de France, before turning his attention to the road race and time trial at Paris 2024.

Road Cycling at the Olympic Games Paris 2024

The men’s and women’s time trials will take place on 27 July, finishing at the Pont Alexandre III bridge. Cyclists will then get a few rest days, before the men's road race on 3 August and the women’s road race on 4 August. In total, four sets of medals will be available in road cycling at Paris 2024.