The 2023 Tour de France will begin on Saturday, July 1. Not since the days of Lance Armstrong have we seen Americans being able to compete at cycling’s biggest race consistently. This year’s Tour de France tournament is expected to have between 160 and 176 riders starting, and only six are from the United States.
Having six participants this year is one less than in 2022, but it is still the second-highest number of American cyclists since there were nine in 2014. This year’s American participants are Neilson Powless (EF Education-EasyPost), Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma), Quinn Simmons (Lidl-Trek), Lawson Craddock (Jayco-AlUla), Kevin Vermaerke (Team DSM) and Matteo Jorgenson (Movistar).
While overall wins are now very rare for American cyclists, they are struggling even to win stages of the race. Kuss is the only one in this group who has even won a stage, which came at the 2021 Tour de France. The last time an American won a stage was in 2011 when Tyler Garrar accomplished the feat. Powless, Simmons and Jorgenson have all come close to winning a stage, and all six Americans have that as the goal for this race. Obviously, winning the Tour de France is the ultimate goal, but a seemingly more attainable goal that would make their respective Tours would simply be winning a stage.
Vermaerke returns to the Tour after only lasting a week in 2022 before suffering a broken clavicle that eliminated him early. Craddock hasn’t participated since 2018, but he is expected to be a pivotal helper to the Jayco-AlUla team.
Opening odds for American cyclists to win 2023 Tour de France
Sepp Kuss: +15000
Matteo Jorgenson: +15000
Neilson Powless: +50000
Lawson Craddock: +100000
Kevin Vermaerke: +100000
Quinn Simmons: No Odds