Kristen Faulkner went against the USA Cycling to win the Olympic race in Paris: "They said I had a 6% chance for a medal"
Cycling
American Kristen Faulkner won two of the biggest victories of her career at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Taking advantage of the off-season, the 32-year-old cyclist wanted to remember those who did not bet on her even in her own country.
Faulkner won Olympic gold in both the team pursuit and the elite women's road race. The latter was the bigger of the two, and at the same time the one they were least confident she could win.
"At first, USA Cycling didn't support me in the road race, even after I qualified, because they were worried about the team pursuit," Faulkner said in an interview with the Velo.
The American relates that before competing for the medals she was asked not to ride the road race: "They took me into a room and said, 'We don't want you to do the road race.' I told them: 'Well, I think I can win a medal.' And they said, 'Well, we've done a drill, and our drill shows that you have a 6 percent chance of winning a medal of any color.'"
Faulkner's strategy
In order to convince her superiors to compete in the Olympic road race, Kristen Faulkner said she defended herself by claiming that the course suited her perfectly for a number of reasons. She was right.
"They asked me: 'well, how are you going to win?' I said: 'I'm going to attack from a small select group on the home straight leading into the finish.' And so, actually, the exact strategy I had when I told them that was exactly what happened in the race," the American concluded.
Faulkner took the gold medal crossing the finish line alone, after a 3-kilometer solo. She finished 58 seconds ahead of Marianne Vos, who took silver in a reduced sprint where Lotte Kopecky took bronze.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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leedorney07-11-2026 - The road from Holyrood to Edinburgh Castle is a nice steady climb of just over a mile that is cobbled in many parts. (Very slippery if wet!) If the teams are going by one by one that will give fans an even better view of the riders up close than the castle esplanade.Cyclingsbestfan07-11-2026
- wtf dudemij07-11-2026
- big rival … ridiculous.Ketterechts07-11-2026
- It would be great if the World Champion's jersey could be rotated among McNulty, Simmons, and Jorgenson. They threaded the needle perfectly. If each hadn't done exactly what he did, exactly when he did it, the race would have gone to one of the more heralded superstars. That said, how nice that this humble and hardworking guy gets his moment in the sun.
MarkFour07-11-2026 - This is a really interesting idea, which, if well prepared could even be very successful. Very little money needs to be involved for a first season and any success could lead to rapid interest from sponsors.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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