The image of sprightly gymnasts tumbling across a balance beam has always drawn American viewers during the Olympics, just like pictures of bikini-clad beach volleyball players going for gold.

In some sports, women trump the men when it comes to prestige — and success.

Might as well add cycling to the list.

As the U.S. team heads for the Rio Olympics, the women wearing the stars and stripes are among the heavy favorites in several disciplines. Megan Guarnier and her teammates are perhaps the strongest team on the road, Kristin Armstrong is the two-time and defending time trial gold medalist, and the women’s pursuit squad recently smashed the world record on the track.

The men’s squad would be happy to get a medal of any color. In any discipline.

“On the women’s side we’re doing incredibly well and we have a lot to be proud of,” USA Cycling chief executive Derek Bouchard-Hall said, “and that’s a product of two things: America’s acceptance of women’s sport and Title IX, which has really helped with that. We’re one of the top three countries in the world. Some of our programs are superb.”

Indeed, Guarnier is the world’s top-ranked rider and recently won the Giro Rosa, arguably the biggest stage race for women. In the same race, Olympic teammate Evelyn Stevens won a pair of stages and another teammate, Mara Abbott, won a stage and briefly held the leader’s pink jersey.

Three of the four riders on the Olympic team dominated the race. The fourth member? Armstrong.

She won gold in the race against the clock at the Beijing Games and defended it four years ago in London. She has been working back from a second brief retirement for a shot at a three-peat.

The women’s road squad is so strong that two other riders, Carmen Small and Amber Neben, sought arbitration to determine whether they deserved a spot. And while both would have been a shoo-in on just about any other team, neither of them won their case for Team USA.

“There’s a lot of pressure,” Guarnier said, “but I don’t think we can let that pressure factor into our performance. There is a certain point where the pressure is good and where it turns bad. The pressure to medal is good.”