From the road to the track, and everything in between, it's been a busy three years across the various cycling disciplines. Below are some of the biggest storylines from the world of cycling that will have an impact on the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games.
Road Cycling
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After entering the last Olympics as the two-time reigning Tour de France champion, Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar earned bronze for the men's road race in Tokyo. Since then, Pogacar has finished second behind Denmark's Jonas Vingegaard in back-to-back Tour de France events. However, Vingegaard's participation in Paris is uncertain, in part because he broke his collarbone and several ribs in a crash while racing in April.
American Chloe Dygert made her return to the Road Cycling World Championships in August 2023 — three years after she suffered an injury that nearly ended her career — and won the world title in the women's time trial. Dygert had also won the time trial title in 2019 but crashed out while leading in 2020, lacerating her left leg and breaking a wrist in the process. She then missed the subsequent world championships in 2021 and 2022 due to follow-up surgeries. Dygert, who competes in track cycling as well, also won gold in the non-Olympic individual pursuit event at the 2023 Track Cycling World Championships.
Track Cycling
Since becoming the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic gold medal in track cycling, Jennifer Valente has asserted herself as the consistent favorite in women's onium. The 29-year-old won back-to-back world titles in the event in 2022 and 2023.
Meanwhile, Great Britain's track cycling power couple, Jason and Laura Kenny, have announced their retirements. Jason, 36, retired in 2022 as the most decorated British athlete, as well as the most decorated cyclist, of all-time at the Olympics. His wife Laura, Great Britain's most decorated female Olympian, considered making a run at the Paris Games but ultimately bid the sport farewell in March 2024.
BMX Racing
With wins at the 2021 and 2023 World Championships, Great Britain's Bethany Shriever has proven that her gold medal in women's BMX racing at the Tokyo Olympics — she narrowly upset two-time defending Olympic champion Mariana Pajon in the final — was no fluke. However, Australia's Saya Sakakibara has made a name for herself in recent seasons. In her last 13 World Cup races, dating back to June 2023, Sakakibara has finished no worse than second.
A couple Americans have performed well on the world stage too in recent years. Felicia Stancil, who finished fourth in Tokyo, won the 2022 world title, and Alise Willoughby, the 2016 Olympic silver medalist, placed third at 2023 Worlds.
BMX Freestyle
Despite taking silver behind Charlotte Worthington at the last Olympics, American Hannah Roberts has remained the rider to beat in women's BMX freestyle after winning two more world titles in 2022 and 2023. She now heads into Paris with four consecutive and five overall world titles.
On the men's side, Tokyo Olympic gold medalist Logan Martin has continued to perform consistently well. The Australian has finished on the podium every time he's competed in a BMX park contest at X Games since the last Olympics. (As a bonus, he's also been on the podium every time he's competed in the non-Olympic discipline of BMX dirt at X Games since then as well.) In the world rankings for BMX park, Logan is currently ranked No. 2 behind only 22-year-old Kieran Reilly of Great Britain. Reilly finished just ahead of Martin at the 2023 World Championships.
Mountain Biking
In men's mountain biking, it's been the two most recent Olympic champions grabbing most of the titles since the Tokyo Games. Great Britain's Tom Pidcock, the Tokyo Olympic gold medalist, won the most recent world title in 2023, while Switzerland's Nino Schurter, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist, won the two prior world titles. Schurter was also crowned champion during the last two World Cup seasons.