Picture this: the cyclist who faced the harshest downfall of the entire 2025 season, yet emerged as North America's finest rider. It's a tale of resilience and triumph that grabs your attention right from the start – and trust me, you won't want to look away as we unpack the highs, the heartbreaks, and the controversies that defined the year in North American cycling.
Published December 16, 2025, at 12:23 PM
The 2025 cycling season was nothing short of spectacular for North America, overflowing with grand tour podium finishes, world championships, landmark victories, and records that pushed the boundaries of what's possible in the sport. From elite road racing to iconic stages, it marked a peak era for cyclists from this continent, showcasing their rising dominance and unyielding spirit.
Though North Americans have long been part of the global cycling scene, 2025 felt extraordinarily special. Riders like Mexico's Isaac del Toro, Canada's Magdeleine Vallieres, and a lineup of standout U.S. athletes rewrote the record books in ways that will echo for generations.
Sure, there weren't any outright grand tour wins for North Americans (though Del Toro came tantalizingly close), but the achievements were still monumental. Vallieres clinched Canada's inaugural elite road race world title, while American cyclists such as Chloé Dygert, Brandon McNulty, and Matthew Riccitello reached new personal heights in a year packed with breakthroughs and solid confirmations of their talents.
Picking the top riders of the season isn't straightforward. It often boils down to analyzing stats, weighing the importance of results in a cyclist's career journey, or even subjective preferences. Some athletes just don't click with everyone, regardless of their performances on or off the bike. For our 2025 selections, we focused purely on the impact of their outcomes, how they fit into their professional paths, and what they hint at for the future.
There were countless bright moments for North American riders in 2025. Let's jump in and explore them together, breaking down the highlights with some friendly insights to make it easier for newcomers to follow along.
Best U.S. Female: Chloé Dygert
In a lot of ways, 2025 reinforced North America's status as a powerhouse in road cycling. While there were explosive debuts north and south of the U.S. borders – which we'll discuss more below – American riders showed incredible depth and consistency within the elite group, known as the peloton. This builds on a trend over the last five years or so, where U.S. cyclists have firmly reclaimed their spot at the forefront of professional racing.
Americans never completely disappeared from the scene, but there was a quiet period, especially following the fallout from the USADA doping scandal. Plenty of top U.S. men and women were still competing at the highest levels, yet the standout results weren't as frequent during the 2010s, when waves of Colombian riders and the 'Roule Britannia' generation – think Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, Lizzie Deignan, and Chris Froome – dominated headlines for much of the decade.
That dynamic has shifted dramatically in the 2020s, with U.S. riders landing major wins that signal a new era of excellence. Consider Sepp Kuss's groundbreaking victory at the 2023 Vuelta a España, or Kristen Faulkner's dual-gold medals in track and road at the 2024 Paris Olympics. That wave of success rolled right into 2025.
On the women's side, remarkable performances included Chloé Dygert, who almost secured the road race rainbow stripes at the 2024 Zurich Worlds. She kicked off 2025 with a bang, claiming her second-ever WorldTour victory in Australia and delivering consistent results in the classics, such as top-10 finishes at Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix (despite battling stomach issues that could have derailed many). For beginners wondering about the classics, these are iconic one-day races that test endurance, tactics, and grit on challenging courses – like the cobbled paths of Paris-Roubaix, which feel like a rollercoaster for tires and riders alike.
Lily Williams also kept knocking on the door of greatness with another reliable year, scoring a top-10 at Gent-Wevelgem and returning to the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with Human Powered Health. Her teammate Ruth Edwards grabbed a stage podium, and Megan Jastrab impressed with a WorldTour podium at the Ladies Simac Tour. Faulkner's season ended early due to injury, while Lauren Stephens has become a gravel racing force but still competes on the road, winning the Tour of the Gila and challenging Faulkner for the national stripes in Charleston.
So, who did we crown as the top U.S. woman? Dygert, for edging closest to that long-awaited major European triumph this year. But here's where it gets controversial – is consistency in near-misses as valuable as a win? Some might argue it's time for a big breakthrough; others say her steady excellence sets the standard. What do you think?
Best U.S. Male: Matthew Riccitello
The men's side delivered a flood of American successes in 2025, but the true standout – judged by steady performance, bold goals, and the weight of grand tour results – was Matthew Riccitello. At just 23, the Arizonan quietly assembled the strongest U.S. grand tour effort since Kuss, snagging the white jersey for best young rider and placing in the top five at the Vuelta a España. For those new to the sport, grand tours like the Vuelta are multi-week races covering thousands of kilometers, where cyclists battle mountains, time trials, and team tactics – think of it as the ultimate endurance marathon with bikes.
Riccitello's sustained excellence suggests even bigger things ahead; he's already signed a three-year deal with Decathlon CMA CGM and is expected to lead his team next year. Alongside Matteo Jorgenson, Brandon McNulty, and Kuss, he's positioning himself as a top general classification (GC) contender for his generation – GC refers to the overall leader in these stage races, a role that demands peak fitness across the entire event.
Across the U.S. peloton, there were numerous significant wins and milestones. Neilson Powless pulled off one of the season's smartest one-day victories at Dwars door Vlaanderen, outsmarting the powerful Visma-Lease a Bike team despite being outnumbered. Jorgenson solidified his elite status by successfully defending his Paris-Nice title, becoming the only American to do so, plus he earned a top-20 at the Tour de France and 10th at the Vuelta while supporting Jonas Vingegaard, hinting at more leadership roles in 2026.
Quinn Simmons boosted his resume with a third-place finish at GP Montréal, fourth at Il Lombardia – a rare American top-five in a monument race, which are the sport's most prestigious one-day events – and his debut WorldTour stage wins at the Volta a Catalunya and Tour de Suisse, along with the national jersey. Kuss returned to form, aiding Vingegaard's second-place Tour finish and Vuelta win. McNulty had a breakout year with UAE Emirates XRG, achieving a career-best ninth in the Giro GC with six victories overall.
This all points to a golden generation of U.S. men at the sport's pinnacle, with plenty more expected. And this is the part most people miss – Riccitello's standout Vuelta performance redefined his trajectory, much like those defining moments that alter a rider's legacy. For that reason, he's our U.S. male rider of the year.
Oh, Canada: Vallieres Makes History
North American cyclists have often carried a sense of determination when competing against the established European cycling powers. It wasn't until the 1980s that North Americans made their mark globally, with pioneers like Greg LeMond, Connie Carpenter, Steve Bauer, and Raul Álcala lighting up the European circuits.
2025 represented a pivotal shift, with Canada experiencing a vibrant comeback. Michael Woods flew the Maple Leaf flag for years, but his retirement has passed the torch to Derek Gee, Isabella Holmgren (who won the women's Tour de l’Avenir), and Vallieres, ensuring Canada stays prominent. Gee is currently navigating contract disputes but should be back on track for 2026, potentially aiming for a grand tour podium – a new milestone, since Canada's only grand tour winner is Ryder Hesjedal from the 2012 Giro.
The emerging Holmgren siblings, alongside Vallieres as the new world champion – Canada's first in elite road racing – will keep Canadian cycling in the spotlight. Veterans like Alison Jackson and Guillaume Boivin provide ongoing support.
Our choice for Canada's top rider in 2025 is Vallieres. Her persistence, quiet confidence, and clutch performances earned her the rainbow jersey (the symbol of world championship, worn proudly on jerseys) in Rwanda – a shocking upset that insiders had been anticipating based on her hard work and self-funded preparation.
Vallieres' win is a game-changer, ending a long dry spell for North America in elite world road titles and setting the stage for excitement ahead of the 2026 Montreal Worlds, the first North American host since Richmond in 2015. But here's where it gets controversial – does a single victory outweigh years of steady contributions from others? Is Vallieres' triumph the start of a dynasty, or just a fluke? This could spark debates among fans.
Isaac del Toro: Mexico's Merckx and North America's Best in 2025
No North American rider ignited the racing world more in 2025 than Mexico's Isaac del Toro. Hailing from Ensenada in Baja California, near San Diego, the 2023 Tour de l’Avenir champion surged forward in his second pro year with unmatched quality and volume.
Del Toro's explosive campaign included a Giro d'Italia podium, third in the UCI rankings (the global cyclist hierarchy based on points), and a record-breaking haul of wins, marking him as a transformative force for North America in the WorldTour elite. For context, the UCI rankings are like a leaderboard where points from races determine a rider's standing, rewarding consistency and high finishes.
His Giro result was a turning point; he nearly secured the pink jersey (the leader's symbol in the Giro) until a dramatic collapse on the Colle delle Finestre climb, where Simon Yates snatched victory in a moment eerily similar to his 2018 duel with Chris Froome. Yet Del Toro didn't crumble – he rebounded with renewed focus, turning a potential disaster into fuel for aggression, winning numerous races in the latter half of the year.
Now set for his Tour de France debut alongside UAE teammate Tadej Pogačar, who's dubbed him a successor, Del Toro has breathed new life into Mexican cycling. Mexico once had a thriving stage racing scene in the Americas, but it faded over time. His rise has sparked hopes for a revival, possibly as early as 2027.
For us, the decision was straightforward: in 2025, no North American reshaped possibilities or sparked more excitement than Isaac del Toro. And this is the part most people miss – his comeback story challenges the idea that a setback defines a career; instead, it shows how true champions turn adversity into advantage.
So, there you have it – a whirlwind tour of North America's cycling triumphs in 2025. But what do you think? Do these picks align with your views on who deserved the spotlight? Is there a rider we overlooked, or a controversial choice that ruffles your feathers? Share your agreements, disagreements, or hot takes in the comments below – let's discuss!
