North American cycling could be on the edge of greatness. We don’t have a superstar like Tadej Pogačar (yet), but we’re not struggling to find results either. USA, Canada and Mexico earned multiple medals at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, plus a rainbow jersey when Magdeleine Vallieres stunned the favourites.
Isaac del Toro nearly won the Giro d’Italia, while Brandon McNulty became one of only a few riders in history to follow Pogačar when he won the hilly 210km classic-style race at the GP de Montréal. There are many other names that we will get to in a second, but here is what you really need to know.
When I first set out to write this piece, I was looking for results, riding styles and potential. I wasn’t even looking at each rider’s age, but as I put together this list, I realised that the best North American riders are all between 18 to 27 years old, with some mega potential in the younger end of that range.
These are riders who made it through the Junior ranks and have continued to push and develop year after year. They didn’t burn out at 21 like so many overly hyped Junior stars. Instead, they took their time to train and learn in smaller races, eventually moving up the WorldTour, and then earning results at the highest tier.
Isaac Del Toro
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Is it a bit crazy to ask whether Isaac Del Toro (UAE Team Emirates XRG) is the next Tadej Pogačar, but the similarities are striking.
Del Toro was the only rider able to follow his trade teammate Pogačar at the UCI World Championships in Kigali (OK yes, Juan Ayuso was there also but he made it only a few kilometres before imploding), and he rides with a rare panache. The 22-year-old Mexican won nearly 20 races in 2025, including the General Classifications at the Vuelta a Burgos and Tour of Austria. And, as mentioned above, he came pretty darn close to winning the Giro.
We don’t really know what the limit is for Del Toro. He has impressed in every facet of road cycling so far, including group sprints, summit finishes and time trials. At 70kg, he has significantly more raw power than 60-65kg riders like Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma – Lease a Bike). He also has the…