Huge upset: Kristen Faullkner (USA) wins Women’s Road Bike race!
August 4, 2024
Huge upset: Kristen Faullkner (USA) wins Women’s Road Bike race!
Posted by etherd0t
39 comments
I tuned in just in time to see her acceleration happen! She really just put her foot of the gas for that last ~4km. Impressive win!
She out played the other 3 in the group, it’s like they saw here pulling away and just gave up any chase.
What an epic race once again after yesterday men’s race! The loop around the Paris hills was the perfect setting for beautiful racing.
Putting an end to a 40-year drought for USA in this event. Impressive race for Faulkner!
She only raced because someone else dropped out. Her story is incredible. Congrats!
Yo that acceleration at the end was NUTS. Everyone looked stunned at the end. Idek where the fuck that energy came from after riding for 4 hours
Hungarians must be disapointed
Checking in from Alaska, we are so proud! What an incredible pull away near the end!
Well deserved! The way she closed that gap was amazing.
My dad, who was a former cyclist and olympian just called it a brain-dead moment no to follow her. The last 5km you just need to follow any attack as it will use everyones stamina even if it fails. They just looked at each other to decide who will take the lead in chasing and then the chance is already gone.
If you are a good sprinter you want the other to use their stamina, so that you can overtake them in the end, but this doesnt’ help if one is already gone.
Maybe a bit harsh, but he calls it “the lack of race instinct” coming from having a radio in todays cycling that will tell everyone what they need to do.
Apparently, those 3 were “arguing” over who would go???…why is there such a team mentality in the road race…only one person is going to win…
She deserved it, Kopecky and Vos with all their experience got schooled.
Faulkn hell!
I was watching that, and my jaw dropped when she accelerated past the other leaders. She was insane to watch!
What’s cool is that this is USA’s first gold medal in this event in 40 years, Faullkner beat the 2, 3, and 4 spots in the race by just under a minute, and she was randomly given the spot in the race because someone dropped out.
That was pure magic. Amazing to see
She shot off like a bullet at the end there, it was so cool to watch. Absolutely spectacular.
Very smart move she made there and a much deserved gold!
The Dutch commentator was warning about this…. Don’t give her the chance to place an attack, because she will be gone, and that is exactly what happened.
No matter how many races I watch it is always weird to see this happening in cycling!! Bickering and in the end, everyone just fine with racing for second because no one wants to be the one who has to lead the chase…
Love it!
The strongest rider on the day. Chapeau
USA! USA! USA!!! Let’s go!!!!!
Did anyone here even watch the whole race or listen to the commentators? Idiotic comments all through the thread.
The turning point of the race was Dygert’s crash before the first Montmarte climb on a narrow road splitting 10-12 riders from the rest of the peloton who lost all their momentum having to navigate past the riders who fell.
Kopecky was one of those split off behind and had to chase solo which she evidently paid for in the end.
Vos and Vas split off from those leaders with 2 climbs left and also burnt out. Vos in particular wasn’t even the lead rider for the Netherlands but was the only one of them that was in the lead group. She had already been playing the role of dominique. These aren’t stupid riders that failed a gamble.
Faulkner got lucky from Dygert’s crash, though given both of them are Americans, you could say that in an ironic fashion Dygert had the most successful dominique role (not sure which of them is actually meant to be stronger) by crashing and splitting the peloton at a key moment in the race.
If Dygert hadn’t crashed, the race would have turned out a lot differently. Congratulations to Faulkner for taking her opportunity but people watching the tailend without any context making ridiculous statements about the racers are atypical of Reddit empty cans making the most noise.
Her story is crazy. She didn’t start cycling until 2017 after graduating from Harvard and was doing it as a hobby while working full time in VC.
She said she first clipped on cycling shoes in her mid 20s and started in small local races but rose the ranks like a meteor. And last year she was hit by a car and had a lung injury that nearly ended her career.
But for those that think they can become an Olympian now, she was already an elite athlete – was a record breaking Harvard rower, which is where many olympians train and is a leg power sport. So it’s not like she did this from the couch.
So why u upset?
She was magnificent!
Congratulations to Kristen!!! It does feel great as a nation when you’re not the favorite and win gold in the Olympics.
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U
Watching live I went from “I hope she can medal” to “holy shit this isn’t even a race anymore”
I think this is my favorite moment of the Olympics so far
She spent 6 KM just catching up from over 30 seconds back, and then in a matter of a couple minutes pulled 30 seconds ahead. That was insane and amazing!
Big upset and incredible story!
Wtf…just read a couple of hours ago about her story. She studied computer science at Harvard and did rowing. Then she started working at a venture capital in NYC, which is about the same time she started cycling. Now, she’s an Olympic champion in an event that she wasn’t even supposed to go. Damn
only a Einstein level genius with a side of Hawking could explain the reason for Kopecky/Vas/Voss to sit their looking at each other like a sunday club ride as Faulkner disappears up the road, they clearly weren’t gassed as they sprinted at the end, bizarre.
the favorites watching her take over at the end there: mother faulkner!
Love this girl since I saw her in Tour de France Femmes after a bad fall. She is a really nice person and 1000% focused
She didn’t give up and finished the Tour. I follow her ever since and she’s more an excellent TT rider and an accomplished track rider too so it’s a great surprise
Super happy for her 👏
Her acceleration to pull away was big Mario Kart power up energy.
Saw her cross the finish line from the Eiffel Tower. The finish for silver and bronze was insane.
best Olympic gold win for the USA this Olympics. what a ride toward the end.
I would love to see the medal ceremony. Does anyone have a link.
It’s even more incredible she’s a track racer who hadn’t even qualify for the road racing team, and was only in the race by default. Such an epic story and win.
39 comments
I tuned in just in time to see her acceleration happen! She really just put her foot of the gas for that last ~4km. Impressive win!
She out played the other 3 in the group, it’s like they saw here pulling away and just gave up any chase.
What an epic race once again after yesterday men’s race! The loop around the Paris hills was the perfect setting for beautiful racing.
Putting an end to a 40-year drought for USA in this event. Impressive race for Faulkner!
She only raced because someone else dropped out. Her story is incredible. Congrats!
Yo that acceleration at the end was NUTS. Everyone looked stunned at the end. Idek where the fuck that energy came from after riding for 4 hours
Hungarians must be disapointed
Checking in from Alaska, we are so proud! What an incredible pull away near the end!
Well deserved! The way she closed that gap was amazing.
My dad, who was a former cyclist and olympian just called it a brain-dead moment no to follow her. The last 5km you just need to follow any attack as it will use everyones stamina even if it fails. They just looked at each other to decide who will take the lead in chasing and then the chance is already gone.
If you are a good sprinter you want the other to use their stamina, so that you can overtake them in the end, but this doesnt’ help if one is already gone.
Maybe a bit harsh, but he calls it “the lack of race instinct” coming from having a radio in todays cycling that will tell everyone what they need to do.
Apparently, those 3 were “arguing” over who would go???…why is there such a team mentality in the road race…only one person is going to win…
She deserved it, Kopecky and Vos with all their experience got schooled.
Faulkn hell!
I was watching that, and my jaw dropped when she accelerated past the other leaders. She was insane to watch!
What’s cool is that this is USA’s first gold medal in this event in 40 years, Faullkner beat the 2, 3, and 4 spots in the race by just under a minute, and she was randomly given the spot in the race because someone dropped out.
That was pure magic. Amazing to see
She shot off like a bullet at the end there, it was so cool to watch. Absolutely spectacular.
Very smart move she made there and a much deserved gold!
The Dutch commentator was warning about this…. Don’t give her the chance to place an attack, because she will be gone, and that is exactly what happened.
No matter how many races I watch it is always weird to see this happening in cycling!! Bickering and in the end, everyone just fine with racing for second because no one wants to be the one who has to lead the chase…
Love it!
The strongest rider on the day. Chapeau
USA! USA! USA!!! Let’s go!!!!!
Did anyone here even watch the whole race or listen to the commentators? Idiotic comments all through the thread.
The turning point of the race was Dygert’s crash before the first Montmarte climb on a narrow road splitting 10-12 riders from the rest of the peloton who lost all their momentum having to navigate past the riders who fell.
Kopecky was one of those split off behind and had to chase solo which she evidently paid for in the end.
Vos and Vas split off from those leaders with 2 climbs left and also burnt out. Vos in particular wasn’t even the lead rider for the Netherlands but was the only one of them that was in the lead group. She had already been playing the role of dominique. These aren’t stupid riders that failed a gamble.
Faulkner got lucky from Dygert’s crash, though given both of them are Americans, you could say that in an ironic fashion Dygert had the most successful dominique role (not sure which of them is actually meant to be stronger) by crashing and splitting the peloton at a key moment in the race.
If Dygert hadn’t crashed, the race would have turned out a lot differently. Congratulations to Faulkner for taking her opportunity but people watching the tailend without any context making ridiculous statements about the racers are atypical of Reddit empty cans making the most noise.
Her story is crazy. She didn’t start cycling until 2017 after graduating from Harvard and was doing it as a hobby while working full time in VC.
She said she first clipped on cycling shoes in her mid 20s and started in small local races but rose the ranks like a meteor. And last year she was hit by a car and had a lung injury that nearly ended her career.
But for those that think they can become an Olympian now, she was already an elite athlete – was a record breaking Harvard rower, which is where many olympians train and is a leg power sport. So it’s not like she did this from the couch.
So why u upset?
She was magnificent!
Congratulations to Kristen!!! It does feel great as a nation when you’re not the favorite and win gold in the Olympics.
[removed]
U
Watching live I went from “I hope she can medal” to “holy shit this isn’t even a race anymore”
I think this is my favorite moment of the Olympics so far
She spent 6 KM just catching up from over 30 seconds back, and then in a matter of a couple minutes pulled 30 seconds ahead. That was insane and amazing!
Big upset and incredible story!
Wtf…just read a couple of hours ago about her story. She studied computer science at Harvard and did rowing. Then she started working at a venture capital in NYC, which is about the same time she started cycling. Now, she’s an Olympic champion in an event that she wasn’t even supposed to go. Damn
only a Einstein level genius with a side of Hawking could explain the reason for Kopecky/Vas/Voss to sit their looking at each other like a sunday club ride as Faulkner disappears up the road, they clearly weren’t gassed as they sprinted at the end, bizarre.
the favorites watching her take over at the end there: mother faulkner!
Love this girl since I saw her in Tour de France Femmes after a bad fall. She is a really nice person and 1000% focused
She didn’t give up and finished the Tour. I follow her ever since and she’s more an excellent TT rider and an accomplished track rider too so it’s a great surprise
Super happy for her 👏
Her acceleration to pull away was big Mario Kart power up energy.
Saw her cross the finish line from the Eiffel Tower. The finish for silver and bronze was insane.
best Olympic gold win for the USA this Olympics. what a ride toward the end.
I would love to see the medal ceremony. Does anyone have a link.
It’s even more incredible she’s a track racer who hadn’t even qualify for the road racing team, and was only in the race by default. Such an epic story and win.