"I don’t like to train, but I do like to win" - Chloé Dygert admits that becoming a professional cyclist was never her dream

Time trialist are typically, how to put it... unique kind of almost masochists who love torture themselves on the uncomfortable TT specials in chase for those marginal gains. Not so the two-time world champion Chloé Dygert whose biggest secret is that she doesn’t like bikes! The rumour has it that the reigning time trial world champion became a professional cyclist only because of a family bribe – and that she has no interest in the sport or its history. Yet here she was again, looking to win the Olympic gold in Paris - only to come third last week. Next up: track.

"I don’t like to train, but I do like to win," she elaborates. "I do have bad days and I do struggle when I don’t want to ride a bike, but I have been very blessed with the drive, motivation, structure and discipline to be able to do so. And when I do have a good day, it’s all worth it. I love winning, and I love what comes after that because 'next' is always a bigger and better thing."

"I’m going to do everything I can to get those gold medals and if it doesn’t happen, well..." she pauses. "Well, that’s an interesting question because I’ve not thought about what happens if I don’t," she said, speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of the start of the 2024 Games.

Her path to become a cyclist wasn't always lined up as Dygert started off playing basketball and later running track. It was only at the age of 16 that she picked up cycling. "My dad and brother cycled, and they bribed me into giving it a go by saying, 'If you use your brother’s Zipp wheels and win, you can get a pair of Oakleys.'" The plan worked. "I didn’t know anything, but my dad was telling me that the things I could do on a bike were not normal for a little kid. He effectively talent ID’d me and really pushed me into racing."