Kristen Faulkner of the US takes the lead in women’s road race at Paris Olympics with a sprint to victory

PARIS — With the Eiffel Tower in the background and the sunlight shining at the Paris Olympics, Kristen Faulkner found herself at the top of the podium, placing her hand on her chest as the American national anthem resonated.

For a moment, she shut her eyes as the enormity of her victory in the women’s road race began to sink in.

Faulkner, a former rower at Harvard who was included in the Olympic team as a substitute, became the first American cyclist in four decades to secure a medal in the competition.

She executed her strategic move flawlessly against significantly more seasoned cyclists. Among them was Dutch cyclist Marianne Vos, widely regarded as one of the greatest female cyclists in history.

“It’s truly a dream come true,” Faulkner expressed. “It’s an indescribable feeling. I don’t have words to capture it.”

The 158-kilometer (98-mile) course commenced and concluded in Paris, with Faulkner crossing the finish line at the Trocadéro in just under four hours.

Faulkner finished 58 seconds ahead of Vos, Lotte Kopecky of Belgium, and Blanka Vas of Hungary, who were separated by a photo finish with Vos claiming silver and Kopecky securing the bronze.

Faulkner and Kopecky caught up with Vos and Vas with approximately three kilometers remaining. As Faulkner made her move, the other three hesitated and were unable to catch up with her.

Only the Eiffel Tower and the promise of glory lay ahead of her.

The 31-year-old Alaska native is the first American to claim a road race medal of any hue since the 1984 Los Angeles Games, when Connie Carpenter and Alexi Grewal swept the gold medals.

Faulkner took a circuitous path to professional cycling.

She was a varsity rower at Harvard, then transitioned to investment banking after completing her studies in 2016. She began cycling for leisure on the streets of New York City, and during her first year as a professional, she continued to work full-time for a Silicon Valley company.

“I took a significant risk a few years ago to pursue my aspirations,” she stated. “I made it a reality.”

Faulkner only acquired the skill of clipping into pedals in 2017.

“It has been a rapid ascent,” she elaborated. “Even for those closest to me, it has been a whirlwind.”

Her strategic approach to cycling was honed from her experience as a venture capitalist.

“I acquired the ability to calculate and evaluate risks,” she explained. “In a race, I carry that mindset with me: What is the risk-reward ratio? Knowing when to take calculated risks.”

Faulkner won the U.S. road race championship in May, but had not qualified for the Olympic road race as Chloe Dygert and American time trial champion Taylor Knibb secured the two automatic spots. It wasn’t until Knibb withdrew last month to focus on the Olympic triathlon that Faulkner was added as a substitute.

Now, she has her sights set on a second medal — in team pursuit, which commences on Tuesday with the qualifying round.

“I stated that I would only participate in the road race if I felt strong and believed I had a shot at a medal,” Faulkner stated. “I knew it would be a challenging race, but if I competed, I was competing to win. That was a pledge I made to my team pursuit colleagues.”

Enormous crowds cheered as the cyclists rode through Paris’ Latin Quarter and then past the Orsay museum — formerly a train station.

The journey culminated with three ascents up to Montmartre, the neighborhood of Paris renowned for its cobblestone pathways, its charming artistic ambiance and, most notably, the white Sacré Coeur basilica perched majestically atop Montmartre hill overlooking Parisians.

Afghan siblings Fariba and Yulduz Hashimi briefly led an early breakaway but were quickly caught. Slovakian Nora Jencusova then forged ahead on her own before being joined by the Hashimis and two other cyclists.

Upon entering Paris, the cyclists sped past spectators congregating around the Louvre museum — home to the famous Mona Lisa — and the breakaway group was absorbed by the main peloton.

As the riders tackled the iconic 1-kilometer climb up Butte-Montmartre for the first time, a new trio emerged at the front — Vos, Italian Elisa Longo Borghini, and Faulkner. Kopecky pursued aggressively on her own and caught up with the leading group with about 40 kilometers remaining.

Defending champion Anna Kiesenhofer of Austria, who triumphed in the race in Tokyo because everyone else overlooked her presence, finished nearly eight minutes behind, securing the 52nd position.

With 20 kilometers to go, Vos and Bas launched an attack. However, they failed to create a significant lead, and Faulkner bided her time.

“I knew that Kopecky was eager to catch up with the front two, so I knew she would ride alongside me. I knew that if we caught them, then I had to make a move because I wouldn’t be able to outpace any of them at the finish line,” Faulkner explained. “The opportune moment to attack was right after we caught up with them and everyone was fatigued. That was my moment, I had practiced my late attack multiple times this year.”

Faulkner put an end to America’s lengthy wait for a road race medal dating back to the Los Angeles Games.

She is now poised to defend her medal at the 2028 event.

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AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta contributed from Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France. ___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games