At the pointy end of last weekend's UCI Road World Championships in Zürich, Switzerland, we saw most of contemporary cycling's biggest names. Tadej Pogačar, Mathieu van der Poel, and Remco Evenepoel on the men's side; Lotte Kopecky, Chloé Dygert, and Elisa Longo Borghini in the women's race.
Along with the likes of Wout van Aert, Tom Pidcock, Jonas Vingegaard, Kasia Niewiadoma, and Demi Vollering, these names have come to define this era of cycling. And, given that most of these riders are still well in their prime, they're likely their names, which we will associate with this generation for years to come.
But if there's one constant in all sports, it's that the next generation is never far behind. And though cyclists do have a bit longer of a shelf life than, say, football players, there is a crop of young riders who've shown flashes of skill, ability, and ambition that might lead us to believe today's pantheon of cycling greats is about to get a bit more crowded.
Let's start with a few riders on the precipice of joining the best-of-the-best ranks.
First and foremost is Irishman Ben Healy. At just 24 years old, the EF Education-EasyPost rider has quickly made a name for himself over the last two seasons, launching wing-and-a-prayer attacks seemingly every time he lines up. In fact, he was one of two riders (Mauri Vansevenant of Soudal Quick-Step being the other) courageous enough to launch a long-distance attack in an attempt to reel Pogačar during his insane 100-kilometer attack in Zürich.
And while these ultimately fruitless attacks are becoming something of Healy's trademark, it's hard to believe they won't start paying off in the near future. And if they do, we'll watch Healy claw his way into the realm of great one-day racers.
Looking at Juan Ayuso's palmarès, it's easy to forget that he's just 22.
Since joining UAE Team Emirates midway through the 2021 season, Ayuso has won Itzulia Basque Country, a pair of stages at the Tour de Suisse, and a stage at Tirreno-Adriatico. He's also finished second overall at the latter two of those races and third at the Vuelta a España. If there's one knock on Ayuso, it's that he has the tremendous misfortune of being a teammate to perhaps the greatest cyclist of all time. Otherwise, he'd already be his team's primary general classification contender.
At 21 years old, Visma-Lease a Bike's Cian Uijtdebroeks is closer to elementary school than he is to middle age. And though he's yet to win a marquee race (his biggest victory is the 2022 Tour de l'Avenir), Uijtdebroeks's skill has been evident this season, as he worked as a key domestique during the Vuelta a España, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de Suisse. He also reminds us that riders like Pogačar and Evenepoel have completely shifted the paradigm, forcing us to expect too much too soon from young riders. All a cycling fan needs to do is watch Uijtdebroeks over the course of a mountain stage to see that there are massive things in his future, most certainly a chance to compete for the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. That is, whenever his teammate Vingegaard begins to slow down.
Sometimes, all it takes for riders to break out to international recognition is one single ride. Such was the case with Giulio Pellizzari, when the 20-year-old Italian almost took a surprise win on Stage 16 of this year's Giro d'Italia. His attack was one of the most stunning moments of the Giro, one in which he looked eerily like his hero, Pogačar (who beat him on the day, only to give Pellizzari his sunglasses and the pink jersey after the stage).
Pellizzari has spent the last three seasons racing with Pro Team VF Group-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè. However, his profile will no doubt see a major boost next year when he jumps to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. His results are more than likely to follow.
The term "wunderkind" has been attached to 20-year-old Josh Tarling's name several times. And for good reason. The INEOS Grenadiers specialist is already twice a British national champion in the time trial. He finished just off the podium in fourth place at the Zürich World Championships and Paris Olympics in the time trial. However, he's shown promising results in a par of one days, finishing sixth at Dwars door Vlaanderen and seventeenth at the Tour of Flanders. And though his stage races have been a bit less impressive, it's still important to remember he's only been racing at the WorldTour level for one year and is still very much a specialist. The legs are there, however, and, at 6 feet tall and around 170 lbs, Tarling is likely to have a strong career as a one-day racer much in the vein of Mathieu van der Poel and Wout van Aert.
On the women's side, the conversation starts with Puck Pieterse, the 22-year-old off-road champion who is, after much anticipation, finally making her way into the world of road racing. Racing for Fenix-Deceuninck, Pieterse finished just outside the top ten at the 2024 Tour de France Femmes, her only stage race of the season, en route to winning the Tour's youth classification. But, given her background in cross and mountain biking, her talents are already starting to translate into one-day races. She's already a top-ten machine, finishing sixth at the Tour of Flanders, fifth at Dwars door Vlaanderen, seventh at Gent-Wevelgem, third at Trofeo Alfredo Binda and Ronde van Drenthe, and eighth at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. Her "worst" finish this spring was thirteenth at Strade Bianche.
And watching Pieterse, it's easy to see that the legs are already there, as is the killer instinct. But once she's honed her skills in a road race, those top tens should quickly become podiums and victories.
At just 22 years old, Fem van Empel is already a two-time cross World Champion. Last year, she transitioned to the road, racing for powerhouse Visma-Lease a Bike. She immediately began to show the promise that's long been expected of her, finishing eleventh at the Giro d'Italia Donne and winning the points jersey at the Tour de l'Avenir in just her first season. And though this year has been a bit more inconspicuous for Van Empel, she's still displayed her ability in the high mountains.
Unlike many others who jump from cross to road, Van Empel is a natural climber, making her a perfect fit for the GC role, especially in the Grand Tours.
Like Pieterse and Van Empel, Lidl-Trek's Shirin van Anrooij first made a name for herself as one of the world's best cross racers. But, unlike the other two, the 22-year-old has been racing on the road for a few years, dating back to 2020. And though her results have always been toward the top, she hasn't entirely exhibited the form to contest with racing's heaviest hitters. Of course, it doesn't help that she's working alongside Elisa Longo-Borghini.
Still, Van Anrooij does count wins at the Tour de l'Avenir and Trofeo Alfredo Binda on her palmarès, along with podiums at the World Championship, Amstel Gold Race, the Tour of Flanders, Dwars door Vlaanderen, and the Vuelta Burgos. There's no reason to think that her trend won't continue upward.
At just 22, Canyon//SRAM's Neve Bradbury already has four years of WorldTour experience. Bradbury showed promise early, finishing second in the youth classification and tenth overall in the Giro in just her second season. Since then, she's racked up podiums, finishing second at the UAE Tour and the Tour de Suisse and third at the Giro and the Santos Women's Tour Down Unders. She's also a stage winner at the Giro and the Tour de Suisse.
Like Van Anrooij and Longo-Borghini, Bradbury has the somewhat unfortunate circumstance of being a teammate to reigning Tour de France champion Kasia Niewiadoma. However, Bradbury could find herself in the role of team leader within a few short years.
With their fearless racing and fresh ambition, these young riders are already proving they belong among cycling's elite. Whether it's Ben Healy's daring attacks or Puck Pieterse's meteoric rise on the road, this new wave is more than ready to shake up the peloton -- and it's only a matter of time before they're rewriting the sport's history.