In a nation built for cycling, an American stole the women’s road race gold

PARIS — As their way of celebrating U.S. cyclist Kristen Faulkner, the unexpected winner of the women’s road race, the Parisian organizers queued up the Beach Boys. Probably because, in the annals of American music, we are woefully lacking in songs about bicycles. So “Surfin’ U.S.A.” had to suffice.

Quick thinkers, those race planners. No one in charge of the post-race music could have seen Faulkner coming Sunday. If we’re being honest - and Faulkner sure was after she accepted her gold - possibly no one thought she would win. For starters, she didn’t learn how to clip into her pedals until seven years ago. Also, as a first-time Olympian, Faulkner had set her mind on the upcoming team pursuit, the track cycling event she believed was the United States’ best chance at a medal. Furthermore, Faulkner did not initially qualify for the Olympic road race. She wasn’t supposed to be here.

But more than anything else, Americans don’t win this race.

[Alaska’s Kristen Faulkner wins landmark gold in Olympics cycling road race]

They haven’t since 1984, when women’s individual road racing debuted in the Olympic Games and Connie Carpenter became the first golden cyclist. Now 40 years later, after riding through a city steeped in bicycle culture and beating European competitors who have grown up on two wheels, an American wins in women’s cycling.

“This is a dream come true,” Faulkner said. “I’m still looking at that finish line sign wondering how my name got there.”

So locked in and still pushing her way through the final stretch, Faulkner didn’t even raise her hands after she completed the 158-kilometer (98.2-mile) course in 3 hours, 59 minutes, 23 seconds. She has a rule about celebrating too soon. Who knows? A competitor could be on her wheel, and then - boom. And because Olympic riders did not have the assistance of team radio in their ear, Faulkner wasn’t sure how far her three closest competitors were on the course. Had she looked back, however, she would have just seen the most amazing view: a wall of fans lining the Pont d’léna in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

And she would have had the view all to herself.

After riding through Paris, up to Versailles, adding more elevation through four more towns outside of the city, then back to Paris to ascend the cobblestones of Montmartre - three times! - Faulkner worked together with Belgium’s Lotte Kopecky to chase down the two leaders. The quartet rode past the Louvre together. Then crossed the Seine, still bunched together. Then, with less than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) remaining in the race, Faulkner left the group that included Hungary’s Blanka Vas and the Dutchwoman considered to be the greatest of her sport, Marianne Vos.

The American in Paris didn’t look back to ask for directions. If she was going to put her body through all this - spending her Sunday cycling 98.2 miles - then Faulkner wanted to win.

Back in May, Taylor Knibb won the women’s time trial at the U.S. road cycling championships and automatically earned the Americans’ second and final spot next to Chloé Dygert. However, Knibb, a rock star of an athlete, surrendered her spot in the road race so she could focus on time trial, as well as the triathlon. The spot went to Faulkner. But as the race drew closer, Faulkner was looking ahead to Tuesday’s team pursuit qualifying round.

“I actually almost didn’t race the road race,” Faulkner said. “I think we have a really strong team in team pursuit. I think we’re medal-capable. And so I really had to ask myself: Am I medal capable in the road race as well?”

Faulkner, a 31-year-old former venture capitalist originally from Alaska who took up cycling in 2017, weighed her chances and considered whether competing on the road would affect her in the team pursuit. Over the past week, Faulkner decided with her coaches to compete. By Sunday morning, she felt relaxed. More so, she felt confident that she would find a pretty decent souvenir from her day out in Paris.

“I knew that I would only do the road race … if I felt that I was physically strong enough to earn a medal,” Faulkner said. “When I woke up this morning, I said I’m here to do one thing, and that’s to either earn a medal or help Chloé earn a medal.”

Dygert got caught up in a crash at the base of the Montmartre. But bloodied and still chasing, Dygert climbed those hills even though she would need medical assistance for her busted-up shin once she wrapped her postrace interviews. Without a team radio, Dygert had no idea where her teammate was in the race. Only when she crossed in 15th place did Dygert notice Faulkner, triumphant but not lifting the American flag high enough above her head.

“Ah, that makes the crash worth it,” Dygert said of Faulkner’s win. “It’s super cute. She’s holding the flag down here; she doesn’t know how to hold the flag [in victory]. So she’s going to have to get used to that now. I’m going to have to teach her how to hold the flag. She’s probably going to be holding it a lot in the near future.”

Faulkner can’t be blamed that much. The nation’s best female riders have not raised an American flag after an Olympic road race in more than a generation. The sport, though universal, lacks the popularity it enjoys in European countries. That’s regrettable, because cycling might be the most practical of all Olympic disciplines.

Anyone can ride a bike. It can be used as a means of commuting to work or school. Or getting fresh air or boosting some endorphins. Or just experiencing the sheer joy that only riding on two wheels can give a human being. But in the United States, where in many cities cars are given priority over people, the thought of riding a bike on a road might make some recoil in fear.

In the States, cycling is still on training wheels.

“Cycling racing is not as big of a sport in America as it is here; I wish it were, and I hope we can make it a bigger sport in America,” Faulkner said, when I asked her to address the State of Cycling in America. “You don’t have as many bike races [in America] as you do here; you don’t have the same culture. And … the city streets are really for cars; they’re not built for bike commuters.”

In Paris, however, the roads were cleared for the women competing in Sunday’s road race. And wide open for Faulkner.

After Faulkner’s win, they also played James Brown’s classic about living in America. Can’t fault them; the French tried to find a proper victory song for the winner. Who would have known they would need pro-United States music? The only person who might have envisioned an American winning gold might have been the American herself.

“I made it happen,” Faulkner said, “when a lot of people didn’t believe.”