Vos pokert zich in olympische wegrit naar zilver🥈, maar verslikt zich in Faulkner 🇺🇸 De sprint om het zilver en brons liep uit op een fotofinish. Daaruit bleek dat Vos het zilver pakte, een fractie voor Kopecky. #olympischespelen #vos #nossport #wielrennen
Olympic champion Faulkner didn't fall for Kopecky's trap: "I made her work for it anyway"
Women's CyclingMonday, 05 August 2024 at 14:02
On Sunday, Kristen Faulkner surprisingly crowned herself Olympic champion in the road racing category in Paris. The American had incredibly strong legs in the final and broke away from Lotte Kopecky, Marianne Vos and Blanka Vas with three kilometers to go, eventually crossing the finish line solo with the Eiffel Tower in the background.
The woman from Alaska has a remarkable story: from the remote state, she ended up as a venture capitalist on Wall Street, where she made significant amounts of money. Nevertheless, she decided to change course and focus on cycling, a journey that would culminate in Paris a few years later. In front of her family, she reeled in the Olympic title.
"How does it feel? It's a dream come true," were Faulkner's first words after her race. "This is something I've been chasing for a long time, and now that dream is finally coming true: it's the best feeling I've ever had, I can't put it into words."
Faulkner, who is, to be clear, a very good cyclist, didn't immediately think she would win at the start. "I was hopeful," explained the woman who only found out definitively two weeks ago that she would ride the road race. "In two days, I'll be riding the team pursuit, and the deal was that I would take on the road race if I felt I could compete for a medal. And I did."
"It was a tough race, but I knew that if I participated, it wouldn't just be to participate. It was to race for the win," she continued her story. "I had the dedication and ambition, and I made that promise to my teammates in the team pursuit," said the woman who will also be competing on the track.
Faulkner didn't let Kopecky unsettle her
How did she manage it, knowing that she had to make a great effort to get to the front with Lotte Kopecky? "I knew that Kopecky also wanted to make the jump to the front, so she had to cooperate. A few times she showed that she didn't want to ride, but I made her work for it anyway. She wanted to win, that was clear. And that could only happen if we rode to the front."
In the absolute finale, they reached Vos and Vas. "I couldn't beat them in a sprint either, so I had to attack. The best moment was right after we came together because everyone was still tired. So that's when I went for it, knowing that I had practiced for this."
Remarkably, she literally crossed the finish line without celebrating. Why was that? "I was pretty sure I had won, but I was like: what the hell just happened? I couldn't let it sink in or realize it yet, I needed a few minutes for that. I knew I had won gold, but at the same time, I didn't," she says with a big smile.
Il Lombardia 2024
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024