TakeWorlds3 weeks ago
Riley Sheehan finished GP Cycliste de Montréal, flew to Paris, and got the call to race Worlds while driving into Belgium — after Neilson Powless withdrew sick. He only got the seat because someone else pulled out; the original eight-rider selection didn't want him despite two wins this season.
Five of the eight riders USA Cycling picked first had zero wins in 2026. Sheehan had won Circuit de Wallonie, taken stage 1 of the Czech Tour, and finished second overall at Tour de Wallonie 2026 — and still landed as first reserve. He said as much publicly at the time, calling himself someone who "could have been a really vital asset," before an illness elsewhere in the roster forced the correction the results already argued for.
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