A decade ago, at the start of the 2006 season, American cycling was riding on the crest of a wave. Lance Armstrong had sailed into the sunset with his seventh Tour win the previous year and Floyd Landis looked like the heir apparent. American cyclists had not just arrived on the map - they had painted Europe with stars and stripes.
However, within a matter of months Landis had gone from hero to zero after returning a positive for testosterone. He was made to forfeit his maillot jaune and from that moment the American dream began to unravel. It wasn’t so much Landis’s direct actions, more the ramifications of them that sparked the end for a generation of American riders. Several high-profile cyclists – including Armstrong - eventually confessed to careers built on doping.
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A nation of fans watched on as the ships slowly burned and when the tide washed out all that remained to look back on were the Tour wins belonging to Greg LeMond: a decade of results and achievements had been laid bare and tarnished.
It has been four years since the details of those doping practices were laid out and dealt with by USADA in their 2012 Reasoned Decision. Since then a new generation of riders has tentatively emerged and picked up the mantle for America, and although the nation lacks its icon, its star, it has arguably never before had such depth to its ranks.
This is indicative of a sea change in American cycling. The sport has always relied on the presence of one heroic icon – LeMond, then Armstrong – to generate interest and growth at home. But now, the American contingent racing in the WorldTour consists of some strong GC contenders, some good climbers, strong domestiques and that level of depth that might have been missing before.
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