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Published on:

18th Oct 2024

Kristen Faulkner: From breakthrough rider to double Olympic gold

This is the second time Bobby and Jens have sat down with Kristen Faulkner - a little over two years ago she spoke to us about her battles to survive in the peloton, how her rivals refused to follow her wheel - as they considered her too risky to follow and how challenging that initial step had been into the sport. Even then it was clear to see Kristen was destined to succeed - she'd already won the QOM at the Giro Donne as well as a stage win, but this summer she's launched herself into a whole new stratosphere of success.

First she secure the US National road title, then in the space of a week she secured two Olympic gold medals - surprising the field with a late attack in the road race and dominating the team pursuit with her teammates. Days later she was at the Tour de France femmes and competing for stage wins.

We caught up with Kristen to share her success and work out what's next for her, what she has planned away from the bike and how she's found life since becoming the first American to win gold in two different disciplines at the same Olympic Games.

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Transcript
Speaker:

And I can no longer think of the Olympics

as something in the future.

2

:

Like, if I want to go to the Olympics,

like I have to do it now.

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:

Our guest on the odd tandem

today is Kristen Faulkner.

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:

We spoke to her back

in:

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:

which was only two years

into her professional cycling career.

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:

And let's just say she's

made some amazing progressions since then.

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:

Jens, what did you think of today's

discussion with Kristen?

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I'm absolutely blown away

by how hard she works,

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how smart she is, how focused she is,

and she ended up

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having the summer of her life this year,

starting with the national championships

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and then ending up

double Olympic champion.

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So people

enjoy our chat with our guest today.

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Hello Kristen Faulkner,

and welcome to the Odd Tandem.

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Thanks for having me.

It's exciting to be back.

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I think last time I was on the podcast

was about a year or two ago or sometime.

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It was July of 2022

and you had just won two stages,

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as well as the Queen of the mountain

jersey in the, Giro d'Italia, Donne

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Let's just say a lot has changed

since then.

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Now you're America's sweetheart.

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You won two Olympic gold medals

in the road race and the team pursuit.

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These last few months must have been

crazy.

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Give us a little idea

of what you've been up to.

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Yeah, it's super busy.

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You know, usually you're busy

preparing for the Olympics,

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and I think I've been busy

since the Olympics,

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and so it's been a whole nother, a whole

nother journey since the Olympics.

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You know, an amazing summer.

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You know, it was,

kind of a whole rollercoaster of emotions,

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you know, from not being selected

for the team originally

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and then

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and going into the road race

and then winning double

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gold, a team pursuit, and then going

right into the tour de France,

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it was super busy.

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And then afterwards,

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you know, the media and the sponsor events

and the fundraising and all that.

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So, I don't feel like I've had the chance

to really, like, sit down and relax

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and decompress, even though my offseason

started a week ago.

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But it's all good. Busy.

You know, it's all good. Busy.

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So, I'm just kind of taking it day by day

and enjoying it here.

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I mean, if being busy so much,

like you just told us before we started

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recording here that you came from

another interview or little video shoot.

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Is to actually any time

for training these days, or is it

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just, you know, media obligations day

in, day out?

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Yeah, thankfully,

my offseason started on October 1st,

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and so I have about 3

to 4 weeks off the bike.

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And, you know, it's normal.

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Offseason is supposed to be resting.

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But, I've been doing a lot of media, a lot of traveling, a lot of speaking events.

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And so it's been busy in that sense.

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And thankfully,

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I don't have to worry about training

or performing right

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now, but, I'm trying to get all the media

out of the way now

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so that when I do start training again,

I can really focus on it.

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But it is,

and it's an interesting challenge for me.

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You know, it's the first time

I've really had to balance,

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you know, think about balancing my primary

job, which is cycling and performing

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with a lot of the kind of new obligations

that are coming up, which is the media

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are writing a book or,

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you know, doing a documentary

and a lot of things that are happening.

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And so I think next year will be,

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a really good challenge,

you know, to know how to balance it.

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But it's also, I feel really supported

with my team, and I feel like my,

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my focus, you know, is still on racing

and is still on performing.

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And so it's good that I have the offseason

to try and do a lot of the media and

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get it out of the way. Now.

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Well, just, you know, you look nervous.

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So, you know, we we have these little,

quickfire questions,

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you know, to break the ice

because, you know, you're

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you're not the most polished,

interviewee that we've had.

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So just to break the ice and make you

a little bit more comfortable.

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We have a couple questions here for you.

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So did you get an Olympic tattoo

and an Olympic ring tattoo?

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No, I haven't,

and I always thought I would.

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You know, ever since I was a kid,

I was like, if I ever got a tattoo,

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it would only like, the only tattoo

I would ever get is the Olympic rings.

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But instead, I'm going to,

I'm getting a necklace.

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It's going to be a gold ring necklace.

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And,

I'm going to wear that for a little while.

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And, and part of the reason is

I couldn't figure out where

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I would want to tattoo

or what kind of tattoo I would want.

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And so,

I think it's like the indecision that has

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that has actually delayed me more

than the lack of desire to get a tattoo.

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Okay.

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Favorite cross-training exercise?

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Running or rowing?

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Running.

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I enjoyed rowing,

but it's, I think nowadays

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I enjoy running a bit more.

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Okay.

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Favorite hype song?

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Don't judge me.

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I can do it with a Broken Heart

by Taylor Swift.

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Okay.

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Okay. And now.

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Now the nuts and bolts

of this whole thing.

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Favorite event?

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The team pursuit or the road race?

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That's like asking my favorite child.

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Everyone wants to know that.

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And I don't know the answer.

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And I would say the road race, because

it was just, you know, it's my job.

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It's my full time job.

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It's what I've done

for a living for the last,

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you know, however many years, seven

or for whatever you count.

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And, and and so in that way, it,

I feel like there was more blood, sweat,

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tears and disappointment

and rebounding and resilience

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that went into the road

race in that regard.

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Whereas a team pursuit,

having started a year ago,

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you know, it's

kind of like a new relationship.

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It's not something

that's been around for seven years.

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And so I think for that reason, the road

race is more meaningful to me to win gold.

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But I think, you know,

they're both very special to me.

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And just in very different ways.

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So now that we already talked

about the Olympics after the road race,

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who did you hug first

after crossing the line

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and who did you call first

after seeing settle down a little bit

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and you actually got hold of your phone

and could call somebody?

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I gave a huge hug to my mom and dad

who were at the finish line.

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And, you know, I, I've always seen

my dad cry twice in his life.

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One was, when his dad died in

the second was

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when I crossed

the finish line in the Olympics.

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And so that was like a very special hug

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for me to to have my parents there

and to have them watching.

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I think my first phone call

actually was my boyfriend

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because he was in Paris and,

he was on the Montmartre climb,

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and so he chosen to watch the race there

instead of at the finish line.

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And so as soon as the

the race finished, you know, I

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he wasn't there to give me a hug.

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So I made sure I called him that night

and saw him.

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So yeah.

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Watching that on TV, I would have been

right up there on that climb as well.

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That was

that was an amazing place to watch it.

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But watch what you just said.

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Kind of caught me off guard.

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Because I'm curious about your start

and your preparation.

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You said you just started

track racing one year before the Olympics.

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Yeah.

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My first ever race in team

it was actually in January of:

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And so I had

I had that's a steep learning curve.

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Yeah, I have a penchant for steep

learning curves

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and kind of throwing myself

into the deep end.

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I don't know.

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I don't know why,

but I have a penchant for that.

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Yeah.

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You know, so I had I had first gotten

track, I want to say in like:

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And it was a, it was a track in San Jose.

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I was on a mass start bike.

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I had kind of done

kind of introductory race in:

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and then I had been to a camp with Gary

and the in the track team.

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I want to say in the fall

of:

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in Colorado Springs,

and I think that was ten days,

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and that was the first time I've been on

like an arrow bike on the track.

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And then in 2023, I went back in November

for another kind of ten day camp.

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And that really was,

you know, November, December time frame.

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And that from then until the Olympics,

really, I was on the track

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and that was less than a year

of real preparation.

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And so I was still very new in team

pursuit.

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And actually, that's what made

the Olympics so interesting for me was

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there were three riders on the team, me,

plus three other riders on the team

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pursuit squad,

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and all of the other riders

had earned a medal before at the Olympics.

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And that's the other three had all medaled

in Tokyo.

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Two of them

had also won a medal in in Rio.

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And so I was the newest member on

the team.

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I'd been racing for less

than a year or two in pursuit.

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The Olympics was my second

race ever in team pursuit.

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And so I felt this

tremendous amount of pressure

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because everyone

I expected the team to get a medal.

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And I was like, well, look, man,

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if we don't get a medal,

it's going to be my fault.

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So I went from the road race

where there was,

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you know, no one who believed in me

to the team pursuit,

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where there's

this tremendous amount of pressure.

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And I felt like the weakest

link on the team.

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And so it was two very mental,

like very different mental

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preparations that I had to prepare for.

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And, and two very different experiences

for me at the Olympics.

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Where was your starting position then?

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And number four

and or where do they put you in the team

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where they sort you would fit in the best?

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Well, I definitely started in P4.

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I had actually Gary

told me this a few months later.

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He said that the first time he met me on

the track, I had the worst start he'd

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ever seen of any athlete from any country

in his entire 30 years of coaching.

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He was like,

I did not even time you because, like,

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it was so slow

that I didn't even need to time it.

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It was that bad.

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And and so, you know, here

I was with this incredible engine showing

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up, but I just couldn't

get off the line, and,

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and that's just kind of my physiology,

you know, I'm an endurance rider,

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and I like to do long distances

and I don't have that kind of punch.

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Or at least I didn't when I started.

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And so I was definitely P4.

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I was almost getting dropped on the

every single start as before.

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And so the biggest challenge for me

was getting off the line.

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And so basically for the entire eight

months, every single practice,

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it was like start, start starts, you know,

that was what I was working on.

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And that's what I needed to improve.

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And as soon as I got in line, I was great.

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I was a I was a strong team member,

you know, helped us and got us some speed.

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But it was just getting me into the line.

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That was the biggest challenge.

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And so then eventually I moved into P3.

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And so I raced the Olympics in P3

and I still struggled a bit with my start.

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It was still my weak spot.

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But I never like I could always get on.

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It was just a matter of

how long would it take me to get in line?

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Sometimes it took me a quarter lap,

sometimes took me a half lap.

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Sometimes it took me

almost a full lap to get in line.

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But I could always bridge that gap.

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But, yeah, I was it was a big, promotion

for me to move from P4 to P3

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because it showed that I had improved

from being the worst start he'd ever seen

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in his entire life to maybe, you know,

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still still needed to improve on

some things, but at least made a big jump.

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See, that's

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amazing to me because I,

I never raced on the track,

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but the team pursuit is probably

my favorite or one of my favorite

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events to watch in the Olympics period,

both men and women.

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So you mentioned the absorbing the start,

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but what are the other things

for newbie track people like me?

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I would assume that staying relaxed on

the wheel is pretty important.

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Your pacing strategy is pretty important,

but more importantly,

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just the stress of the expectations

of that

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pursuit team pursuit with,

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like you said,

some of the much more experienced people.

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Is there anything that I'm missing there

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that that you also had to work on

besides your start?

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Yeah, definitely.

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My exchanges were also, you know,

and learning how to time your exchanges.

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Oftentimes I would, come back in line too

quickly or too slow, and then I'd either

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create a gap or I'd be riding

next to the person before I got in line.

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And that was something

that wasted a lot of energy.

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And so my exchanges were also something

I had to work on a lot.

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I when I started riding track,

I actually had a pretty smooth line

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because I had done so much time

travel on the road,

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and so I was really comfortable

in aero position.

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But one of the challenges for people

when they start team

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pursuit is making sure

that when they're riding,

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they're not wobbling forward back, but

they're also not wobbling left or right,

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because all of those,

you know, subtle movements really impact

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the person behind you in the draft

that they're able to receive from you.

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And so you might be an incredibly strong

individual pursuit are really,

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really strong in line on the front.

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But the people behind you,

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you know, you're not giving them

the draft that they need.

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And so you actually end up

hurting the team more than helping them.

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Even if you can be

the strongest rider on the front.

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And so having a smooth line is something

that's definitely really important.

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Another one

that I think is often overlooked,

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but probably the most important of all

is making sure that you maintain

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a consistent pace going from,

you know, P2 to P1.

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And so kind of the cardinal rule in team

pursuit is that you don't go harder,

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you just go longer.

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And so if you're feeling really good

when you get to the front,

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you don't increase the pace,

you don't decrease the pace.

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You really have to keep the pace

as consistent as possible.

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And if you're feeling really good,

you go long

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and you go longer

maybe than you're expected for.

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And if you're not feeling so strong,

you just take a shorter pull.

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And so it's really, really important

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for us to start out on the right pace,

but also to make sure

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that when you get to the front,

you don't, you know, surge,

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you don't accelerate,

you know, decelerate,

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and then you're able to deliver the person

after you

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at the same speed

as what you were doing right up.

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And so that's something

that takes a lot of practice.

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And it's really hard

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because, you know, when you're second

wheel, you're in a draft.

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And so you really have to, you know,

look to your cadence to understand exactly

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what speed you're going.

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And that can be really hard

when there's adrenaline,

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when there's crowds,

when there's, you know,

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when you're tired,

when your legs are heavy,

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all those things can really influence

how it feels.

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So it's it's really important

to know how to feel, you know,

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the right pace and it takes a long time

to learn how to do that.

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And, my teammates

gave me a lot of feedback

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and a lot of different training sessions

to learn how to improve that as well.

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It takes a long

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time, but evidently less than a year

for ladies like Kristen.

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Yeah, right. Right.

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A lifetime I know, I know, I know,

it is absolutely mind blowing.

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Actually, from January to Olympic champion

just a few months and yep.

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So, one thing I was obviously,

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I mean, was my little tiny experience

when you need to position

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it is a little harder to control the bike,

right? Yes.

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When you done with your pull, you go up

high up to basically to the barriers.

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Right.

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And it feels like your team

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underneath

you is like a mile away doesn't it.

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I mean you almost look that tiny

when you up there.

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That's how high it feels.

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You still doing 60. Swing down.

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And as you said you want to hit

just behind the wheel of P3.

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Right.

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You don't want to have

whatever you guys do the inches

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you don't want to have 20in,

but you don't want to touch wheels, right.

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That stressed me to no end.

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Was was that

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one of the biggest challenges for you,

or was it just all about to start?

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No, definitely.

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The exchanges were really challenging

knowing how to time them.

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And I think at first I was

I had really slow exchanges

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because I would,

you know, I would swing up

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and then I would see them down below

me and I'd be like, oh, I need to wait.

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I need to wait.

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And then I'd kind of come back down

so I'd hesitate at the top.

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And the thing is, they're going so fast.

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If you hesitate at all,

you're going to miss them.

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You're going to, you know,

you're going to get dropped off the back.

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And so I was really learning how to just

like go up, go down, go up, go down.

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You know, there was no hesitation.

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There was no limit at the top.

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Or you could

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you know, it's not like road racing

where you can take in the views,

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enjoy the scenery for a minute,

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you know, like you are up

and you are straight down.

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And then I think the other thing,

that, you know, and so for me, learning

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how to do that, but also learning

how to do that at very different speeds,

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because your speed of the exchange

is directly correlated

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to the speed of the effort.

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And so in training,

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the exchange is probably going to be a lot

slower than the exchange in a race.

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And so,

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you know, you might train something

and training and be like, okay,

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I've no like changes.

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And then you get into a race

and you're like, oh crap.

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Like there

they go. There are way speeding by me.

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And so it's learning how to time it

with very different sensations,

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entirely based on the speed of that day.

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The second

thing that I think was really scary for me

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is as I was diving down,

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you know, you're

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you're going at such a high speed

and aero position and it's terrifying

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because you're going

into the back of their bike

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and you're like, I'm going to hit it,

I'm going to hit it, I'm going to hit it.

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And then, you know,

they they're also going fast by you.

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And so you really have to trust

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the speed of your bike,

the speed that they're going.

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And really get a sense for, you know,

you're coming at them with a lot of speed.

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And in theory, like you would crash

into the back of them,

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but because you're not pedaling so hard

and they are going really hard

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out of the bend, you know, you kind of

are decelerating as they're going by.

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And so it's, it's kind of this

like mind boggling experience where,

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you know, you you just really have to get

used to it over time.

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And, anyway,

to answer your question, it's very scary

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the first few times you do it and usually

you're you're quite conservative.

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The first few times, you know, you

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you tend to have slower exchanges

because it's better to be slow

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than to crash into the person

in front of you.

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And so you, you know,

you do it a little slow,

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and then each time

you get a little better,

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a little faster,

a little closer to their wheel,

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and eventually the goal is to just,

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you know, dive

right into the back of their wheel

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and come in at the exact

same speed at which they're riding.

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But these two

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disciplines that you won a gold medal

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in are so different.

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I, you know, when when I was

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watching the Pre-Olympic stuff

and they announced that both

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you and Chloe were going to do the road

race, I was I was a little bit nervous.

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:

I'm like,

how can you do an Olympic road race?

364

:

And then a couple days

later, jump on the track and then go

365

:

for an Olympic medal, a gold medal,

a world record, all those things.

366

:

But the biggest thing for you,

the question I had for you

367

:

after you win the Olympic road race,

you should be drinking

368

:

champagne, hanging out with Snoop Dogg,

just absolutely living it up.

369

:

You got a gold medal around your neck.

370

:

But no, you had to, like,

keep that even keel

371

:

and then had, what, just two days later

372

:

or a day later, back onto the track.

373

:

What, mentally,

what was that like being at the

374

:

the zenith of the sport

and then having to be like, wait a second,

375

:

I have to do this team pursuit

now I have a gold medal.

376

:

They want a gold medal.

377

:

I better not let them down like I.

378

:

I still can't get my head wrapped around

what it takes to to deal with that.

379

:

Yeah, it was one of the hardest

psychological challenges of my life,

380

:

to be honest,

381

:

because all I wanted to do, you know,

I just achieved my biggest life dream.

382

:

And and here I wasn't,

I couldn't even celebrate it.

383

:

And my family and friends were all there.

384

:

My cousins, my aunts and uncles, they'd

all come to watch this race and I didn't.

385

:

I didn't even want to see them

because I was like,

386

:

if I see you, I'm going to get excited.

387

:

I'm going to get the adrenaline.

I'm going to celebrate.

388

:

And so I really I just had to say, like,

I don't want to see anyone

389

:

until after the team pursuit

and then we can celebrate.

390

:

But after,

you know, until the team pursuit,

391

:

I really need to kind of like,

stay in my moment, stay in my zone.

392

:

And it's actually funny.

393

:

You know, when I crossed the finish line,

everyone was like,

394

:

did you know you'd won?

395

:

Like, you just kept riding and,

I'm dead honest.

396

:

Like like that. Honestly.

397

:

Like, the first thing when I crossed

the line was like, I need to spin.

398

:

I have a race in two days,

and that's why I kept riding.

399

:

I was like, I need to spin my legs.

400

:

I need to spin the legs.

401

:

Like, I can't just stop after the hardest

four minute effort of my life

402

:

and and really like that was

that was the mentality I had to have.

403

:

And it was

404

:

it was so hard because all I wanted to do

was jump off my bike and celebrate it

405

:

and and raise it above my head, you know,

just like Remco had done the day before.

406

:

But unlike Remco, I had to recover

as quickly as possible because I also knew

407

:

that the road race could potentially

negatively impact team pursuit.

408

:

And I didn't want to be the reason why

we didn't earn a medal in team pursuit.

409

:

And I felt actually more pressure

to perform

410

:

in team pursuit after the road race,

because I felt like if I didn't perform

411

:

or if I did anything wrong,

412

:

I and the rest of the world

to blame it on the road race.

413

:

And so I was like,

414

:

I had to go extra, extra, extra

to make sure that I was 100% recovered

415

:

because I couldn't let the road race be

the reason we failed in pursuit.

416

:

And, you know, if I hadn't done the road

race and we failed in team pursuit,

417

:

I could, you know,

blame it on a lot of other things.

418

:

Maybe poor preparation or maybe, you know,

I hadn't been in the sport long enough

419

:

or whatever it was.

420

:

But after the road race, it almost.

421

:

I decided to do the road race.

422

:

I was like, okay, well,

if anything goes wrong in team

423

:

pursuit, like,

I can't let this be the reason why.

424

:

And so, you know,

425

:

as soon as I crossed the finish line,

it was like on to the next thing.

426

:

And it was so hard.

427

:

I wanted so badly to celebrate.

428

:

I wanted so badly to pop some champagne

429

:

and to stay up late and take some photos

of, you know, the Eiffel Tower.

430

:

But I knew that, yeah,

I still had teammates who needed me

431

:

and, yeah,

I just couldn't let them down. So

432

:

you. Yeah.

433

:

Really

respect all to have that presence of mind.

434

:

Like winning

the biggest race ever in your career.

435

:

And you go, yeah, but I cannot celebrate.

436

:

I need to spin now and but but,

437

:

now, you mentioned, the word pressure

438

:

at least 3 or 4 times now at the pressure

of not letting your teammates down,

439

:

was it terrifying, crucifying,

440

:

or was it like a positive pressure,

like, okay, I'm going to keep track.

441

:

I'm gonna do this.

We're going to make this.

442

:

And who do you talk to about that?

443

:

I mean, you must have been terrified

by the ID that day.

444

:

Become for us and blame it all on you.

445

:

Did you had anybody to talk to to, like,

hey, I'm a little afraid of this,

446

:

or you just eat it all up inside of you

and just hide it inside of you?

447

:

I love the phrase

eat it all up inside of me.

448

:

Okay.

449

:

Yeah.

450

:

Unpacking that,

451

:

the team pursuit was one of the highest

pressure moments of my life.

452

:

Like, hands down.

453

:

And and the reason and the reason,

honestly, is, not only was

454

:

I scared about

455

:

the potential implications of the road

race,

456

:

I was scared because I was

the newest member on the team.

457

:

I was scared because I'd only done it

for less than a year.

458

:

This was my second race.

459

:

But even more than that, it was that

my start was the slowest part of the race

460

:

for me.

461

:

And so, like standing on the start

line of that race, knowing that if I like

462

:

the the likeliest place for me to mess up

is at the very beginning.

463

:

And if I don't get off the line in P3,

there's someone behind me

464

:

and the entire race is destroyed because

we have to finish with three people.

465

:

And so if had been P4

and I got dropped at the start, okay,

466

:

you know, it's unfortunate.

467

:

They probably wouldn't earn a medal,

but at least they would finish.

468

:

But if I did anything wrong at the start,

the very, very, very beginning

469

:

of the race, I wouldn't even have a chance

to show anything that I've done,

470

:

and I wouldn't

be able to help the team at all.

471

:

And and so is

a tremendous amount of pressure.

472

:

And then I guess in the final round

as well,

473

:

I did more laps than anyone in the first,

half of the race.

474

:

So everyone started out with one

and a half laps each.

475

:

I did two laps, which is our plan.

476

:

But we went out way too fast.

477

:

Like we went out way faster than plan,

way faster than we'd ever ridden before.

478

:

And then here I was having to do two laps.

479

:

And so by the time the second

half of the race came around, I was like,

480

:

I have like, I am so like asked, like,

I, I don't know what's.

481

:

And then

the gas started to open up in front of me,

482

:

and that was probably the highest pressure

moment in my entire athletic career.

483

:

When I started to open up in front of me,

484

:

we were 30s from the finish line,

maybe 15 seconds from the finish line.

485

:

We were ahead and we were on our way

to a gold medal and I was like,

486

:

If I'm the reason that this gap opens up

and we get dropped, like,

487

:

I cannot handle that.

488

:

And and my body was at its physical limit

mentally.

489

:

Like the only thing I could think about

was like,

490

:

go forward, go forward, like change that.

491

:

We'll chase that. Well,

you got 15 seconds of pain.

492

:

You got 15 seconds.

493

:

Like, this is the moment

494

:

that your life comes down to, like,

you have to make it to that line.

495

:

And so I think, you know, in the road

race,

496

:

like you have these high pressure moments,

but they're not as they're

497

:

they're not as concentrated as they are

in team pursuit, like and

498

:

and in a road race, you know,

you have like a few seconds for an attack.

499

:

But in the team pursuit, like a 10th

of a second of being distracted.

500

:

And the entire race is over,

not just for you,

501

:

but for your entire team.

502

:

And so I would yeah, for sure,

the final round of team pursuit.

503

:

But like the

the very first round, the qualifying round

504

:

I think was really nervous for me

because I didn't know how I would do

505

:

because it was my second race

ever with the team.

506

:

But then the final round

was really nervous

507

:

because, you know,

this is what it was all coming down to.

508

:

And I started to have a gap in front of me

in the, in the final.

509

:

And that was really, really scary.

510

:

So time frame just to, just to be clear.

511

:

So you finished the road race,

how many days did you have

512

:

until you did the qualification

for the team pursuit?

513

:

It was about 48 hours.

514

:

Yeah. So two days then.

515

:

Then you win the Olympic team pursuit.

516

:

Double Olympic champion.

517

:

And how many days did

you have to get to the start

518

:

of the tour de France Femmes?

519

:

Well let's see.

520

:

So we've actually I was we finished

the team, we finished the team pursuit.

521

:

The next day I had a day of media

until after midnight.

522

:

So it was a jam

packed day from like 8 a.m.

523

:

until after midnight.

524

:

And then I think I had another day

525

:

where I went to Champion's Park and did

kind of my celebration on the runway

526

:

and saw my family for the first time.

527

:

And then the next day I traveled to

528

:

tour de France.

529

:

So I had like less than a day to really

530

:

take it all in and and be at the Olympics.

531

:

So my, my, my question about that,

532

:

so that you get that timeline straight is

533

:

this just doesn't happen overnight.

534

:

You know, there's a lot of planning that

you and your coach had to think about.

535

:

So you need the endurance and explosivity

536

:

and then, you know, hours

upon hours of specific training.

537

:

But to prepare for a road

race, team pursuit.

538

:

And then the biggest stage

race of the year,

539

:

was there anything that you and your coach

had to just say?

540

:

Hey, listen, we can't really focus on that

because we're focusing on

541

:

these other things.

542

:

Was there something in your repertoire,

in your arsenal

543

:

that you and your coach

decided, like, hey, we can't really,

544

:

be Uber specific

and prepare for that scenario?

545

:

Yeah, definitely.

546

:

The tour de France was deprioritised,

and the reason

547

:

is that the Olympics come around

every four years, and I knew that

548

:

it was a really big priority for me

and for the team and for team USA,

549

:

and so for the tour de France,

like I wasn't doing any climbing

550

:

leading into the tour de France.

551

:

I wasn't doing any,

you know, day after day kind of fatigue

552

:

resistance to figure out

how I would manage the fatigue, the tour,

553

:

it was really focused primarily

on, like my number one priority

554

:

was the team pursuit.

My number two priority was the road race.

555

:

My number three

priority was the tour de France Femmes.

556

:

And that's just kind of how it had to be.

557

:

And I think, you know, next year

it would be great to go in

558

:

and try to win a stage at the tour

de France or, you know, try to do,

559

:

you know, two stages and,

and do you do a little better?

560

:

But this year, like, you know, as humans,

we have our limits.

561

:

And my limit was going to be hit

before the tour de France.

562

:

And we knew that going in.

563

:

And we also knew that trying

to change that and doing a lot of daily

564

:

day after day fatigue resistance

and climbing like that was just going

565

:

to detract from team pursuit.

566

:

And if I tried to do all three

well, I'd end up doing nothing.

567

:

Well.

568

:

And so we ended up

prioritising the Olympics and

569

:

and the tour de France was great to go to.

I mean, we had a lot of fun.

570

:

We got unfortunately, we got a lot of

fourth places actually, as a team.

571

:

But actually I think we did quite well

and I think I did quite well,

572

:

considering that I just come from

a huge kind of emotional experience.

573

:

I also found out I had Covid during

the tour de France, which was unfortunate.

574

:

So, it was like, you know,

I had the Olympic kind of a

575

:

and going in

and then got Covid, kind of early on.

576

:

I think on the second day or so, I didn't

realise until I test it afterwards.

577

:

So I think we kind of like

578

:

looked at the tour de France

Femmes this year and we were like, okay,

579

:

kind of like participation award,

but like, we'll, we'll,

580

:

we'll try to go for some stages next year.

581

:

So the way you

582

:

make it sound like

it is almost like the tour de France

583

:

is mostly all, almost all the time,

the hardest race in the world.

584

:

You went there almost on a holiday

on holiday to relax, right?

585

:

After all, just media hype,

586

:

like a surprise gold medal

then under pressure and not a gold medal.

587

:

So you almost went to Tour de France...

588

:

ok I get a massage every day, ride my bike

589

:

and nobody can, you know, can talk to me

because I'm on my bike for hours.

590

:

So I cannot give interviews for certain

amount of time because I'm on the bike.

591

:

Wasn't almost like not a holiday,

but like a more relaxed moment actually.

592

:

Then. Then like a bike race.

593

:

Like a moment for you to let it sink

in that you are a double Olympic champion.

594

:

I mean, yes and no.

595

:

I think the, the, the kind of the funny

truth, though, is that I got better

596

:

and better the first few days of the tour

597

:

because I showed up with so much fatigue

from, from the Olympics and from the media

598

:

and from the travel and everything,

that I actually was less fatigued

599

:

every single day for the first

like 4 or 5 days of the tour de France.

600

:

And I don't really know how that happens.

601

:

I mean, like show up to the tour de

France fans

602

:

and you're less fatigued every single day.

603

:

Like I got more and more energy

604

:

and not just relative to everyone else,

but like relative to myself too.

605

:

So that was like a very real thing

that did happen.

606

:

I think in terms of holiday, you know,

607

:

like I had a ton of cameras on me

at the tour de France.

608

:

I had a ton of people at the bus

asking for autographs.

609

:

I had, you know, interviews

every single day before the race.

610

:

And so I think it was kind of this like,

you know, layer cake.

611

:

They just kept stacking

on, stacking on, you know, media and, and,

612

:

you know, some degree of stress

and busyness to my schedule.

613

:

And I think it wasn't

until after the tour de France

614

:

where I was really able to kind of like

take a break and,

615

:

and starfish on my bed and relax and like,

take in what I've done.

616

:

But I think, yeah, the tour de France,

I did

617

:

feel a bit more rested every day

in the beginning, and probably until

618

:

I got Covid and, and then things

were a little more fatiguing from there.

619

:

Yeah.

620

:

You were definitely, high up on GC

heading into the to the mountains there.

621

:

But I remember, on our old podcast,

622

:

you said that there was a certain team

that had a rule

623

:

not to follow Kristen Faulkner's

wheel, like they weren't allowed to do it.

624

:

It was like a rule. Right? Okay.

625

:

That was my very

that was my very first race in Europe.

626

:

So it wasn't like this ongoing thing.

627

:

And that's but how

how cool is that to go from somebody

628

:

saying that when they threw you

into the deep end of the pool, for sure,

629

:

and you didn't have your skill set

that you have now to Blanca Vas in stage

630

:

five of the tour de France Femmes,

when you kind of did your little attack,

631

:

she remembered from the Olympics

when she let you go.

632

:

I can't let Kristen's wheel go.

633

:

So I mean, what what an amazing

two years going from.

634

:

Hey, better not follow this girl to now

she is the wheel to follow that.

635

:

That's got to feel pretty awesome.

636

:

Yeah. For four years it was.

637

:

It was the fall of 2020

638

:

and my first race in Europe when I

when someone said, don't follow my wheel.

639

:

I think by 2022

things had gotten better by then.

640

:

But yeah, I mean, it's definitely been,

641

:

a long, a long way that I've gone.

642

:

And I think, you know, it was,

it was definitely hard in the beginning.

643

:

You know, I think when I came to Europe,

I was I was scared of the peloton.

644

:

I, I didn't like crash a few times

and had to get back up.

645

:

And I had a lot of skills.

I got dropped on every single descent.

646

:

And, you know, it was yo

yoing off the back on any course

647

:

that had a lot of roundabouts

because I was,

648

:

you know, entering the roundabout last

and kind of yo yoing off every time.

649

:

So I think for me,

you know, it's interesting when,

650

:

when I look at my gold medals,

I think a lot of people see like, oh,

651

:

she won a gold medal at the Olympics

and she achieved this big thing.

652

:

And I think that's what the media

latched on to as well as like, you know,

653

:

the kind of the grandiosity

of like winning an Olympic gold medal.

654

:

But for me,

like when I look at those medals, like,

655

:

I like, the biggest thing I think about

is like, wow, I've come so far.

656

:

Like, I came so far.

657

:

There are so many people

who doubted me along the way.

658

:

So many people who didn't believe me.

659

:

I had lost my job and sacrificed so much

when at a time when people had no idea

660

:

what I was doing, you know,

I left a six figure job to go make $7,000

661

:

a year stipend and move across the world

to a town

662

:

where I didn't know anybody and didn't

speak the Catalan language.

663

:

And I.

664

:

And so I think when I look at my gold

medals, it's like, I'm

665

:

so proud of the journey and the resilience

and everything that went into them,

666

:

and much more than the accomplishment

of not like winning this big race.

667

:

And so I think, yeah,

668

:

I think like the ten year

old version of me would be really proud.

669

:

But even like the 28 year

old version, who was crashing

670

:

and not knowing what she was doing

when she showed up in Europe.

671

:

So, you

know, from even from the last time we had

672

:

you on the podcast,

you improved as so much.

673

:

Where do you think you improved the most?

674

:

Descending tactics? endurance?

675

:

punch? power? cleverness?

676

:

your sprinting? your climbing?

677

:

And a follow up question

where do you think is your limit?

678

:

Where do you go from now?

679

:

Yeah, I think my bike handling improved.

680

:

My descending improved, for sure.

681

:

I think the biggest thing,

though, is just my race instinct.

682

:

You know, I,

I think when I started out racing, I would

683

:

look at the course and think like,

where is a good place to attack, you know?

684

:

And now it's like

you can't pick the place to attack.

685

:

Like you have to just look around

and like, who's distracted?

686

:

Who's tired?

687

:

Are you surrounded by sprinters

or climbers?

688

:

Who's going to chase, you know, like

689

:

you have to attack in a place

that makes sense

690

:

based on the group around you

and how fatigued they are,

691

:

how distracted they are,

whether they have teammates,

692

:

they're what the weather is,

what the wind is.

693

:

And so all of that plays a role.

694

:

And also, I think at the Olympics

it was the same thing.

695

:

Like there were four riders,

there were three medals.

696

:

I knew one of us

wasn't going to get a medal.

697

:

And so I was like,

how do I play to make sure

698

:

I'm not the one that doesn't get a medal?

699

:

And so I think everything that went

into that day, into that strategy

700

:

really came down to race strategy

and race instinct.

701

:

And I think that's something I didn't have

a lot of when I first moved to Europe.

702

:

And it was just through like

really studying races and being in them.

703

:

And kind of having this growth mindset

704

:

that I think I was able to learn that.

705

:

And I don't think it's a coincidence

706

:

that I won a race

where there were no race radios.

707

:

You know, I think for me, like

when I came to Europe,

708

:

I relied a lot on radios

for for race tactics.

709

:

And I think I actually excel

way more in races without race radios

710

:

because I do enjoy the strategy element

of racing, and I think I'm at an advantage

711

:

compared to everyone else

when there aren't race radios,

712

:

because the strategy, something I love,

it's something I, you know, I like.

713

:

That's my favorite part of racing.

714

:

And so I think when I was able

to kind of execute my strategy and not

715

:

feel any kind of self-doubt or someone

in my ear telling me what to do, like

716

:

I was really calm

and felt really confident with it.

717

:

And I think that

really helped me on race day.

718

:

But I've

been following you on on social media

719

:

and you have been all over the place

doing some really cool things.

720

:

I mean, two Olympic gold medals

do open some doors,

721

:

and you do get to meet some really cool

people and have some great experiences.

722

:

What what has been

your favorite experience from this

723

:

whirlwind of media and appearances that

724

:

that you've made as of late?

725

:

Best experience?

726

:

I well, actually I got invited to New York

727

:

Fashion Week, which would have been

like a total detour for me.

728

:

I couldn't go to that,

but that was kind of exciting.

729

:

I think, you know, it's it's not actually

730

:

the big publicity and and celebrity

things that I've been able to do.

731

:

I think the most meaningful

things are to me are like getting

732

:

an Instagram message from someone that's

like, oh, my daughter went on a bike today

733

:

because she watched you race,

and now she wants to be a cyclist

734

:

or someone who reaches out to me

and they say,

735

:

you know,

I haven't touched my bike in 15 years.

736

:

And I went out

and I went on it right today.

737

:

Or it is, you know, sponsors coming

and saying, like, we want to support you

738

:

and and me saying like, okay, well,

we need more quality in the sport.

739

:

So what are you going to do for that?

740

:

You know, and I think it's like it's it's

those things that I think are much more

741

:

meaningful to me

742

:

than some of the kind of like fame

and media that I've had access to.

743

:

See. I thought

744

:

I was giving you an underhand, slow pitch,

knock it out of the park, home run,

745

:

because that

746

:

when when President Biden took your phone

and you

747

:

and he did a selfie of you

and all the other Olympic and Paralympic

748

:

athletes behind,

I thought that was going to be it.

749

:

So I whiffed on that one. Okay.

You were right.

750

:

That like, that might be it. Yeah.

751

:

I think having the president

use my phone for a selfie, that's

752

:

probably that was probably the high point

afterwards.

753

:

That was really fun.

754

:

That was a really cool great photo. Yeah.

755

:

Good photo actually.

Yeah. There's another one.

756

:

Someone got like the view of him

taking a selfie,

757

:

which I think is a cooler photo than what

some of mine is.

758

:

But, yeah, that was that was really fun.

759

:

So after double Olympic

760

:

champion and all these media, interviews

and video shoots.

761

:

You did.

762

:

How is it now walking through an airport,

you get recognised more often.

763

:

Has this changed

and has it changed to an extent?

764

:

We go, oh my God,

I feel like everybody knows me.

765

:

Or you go, oh, it's actually encouraging.

766

:

It's nice that every now and then somebody

says, hey, you are the Olympic champion

767

:

or is it too much already for you?

768

:

It's a mix.

769

:

You know, I think I,

I think it also depends where I am.

770

:

I think the parts that are really,

that are, like, really due to me.

771

:

Like, I went to Colorado.

772

:

I was in Breckenridge

after the tour de France,

773

:

and I was at a diner

just eating breakfast, you know,

774

:

and someone came up to me and

they were like are you Kristen Faulkner.

775

:

And I was like, yeah. And they're like,

can I get my photo with you?

776

:

And I was like, sure.

777

:

And, you know,

I wasn't wearing any kind of gear

778

:

or anything,

and they just recognised my face.

779

:

And so that was really foreign to me

and really new,

780

:

because maybe in Belgium

I would have expected something like that.

781

:

But in, you know, Breckenridge, Colorado,

where I've had never even been before,

782

:

I think that was a

bit of a shock to my system.

783

:

And so I've had a

few experiences like that that, I'm like,

784

:

well, I have to make sure I'm

not like picking a wedgie in public,

785

:

you know, like people are watching,

you know, it's like me,

786

:

you know, like, and

and so I think, that kind of.

787

:

Yeah.

788

:

Exposure and recognition is, is new to me,

I think, what

789

:

I'm a little, like, nervous about

maybe is going back to Girona and, like,

790

:

trying to go train and having people

come up and take photos of me

791

:

and want to ride with me

792

:

because I think, you know, it's exciting

to see other cyclists, but I also like

793

:

if I'm in the middle of an interview,

like I can't stop and say hi to fans.

794

:

And so it's kind of figuring out

how that will look, you know,

795

:

with my training and,

796

:

and making sure

797

:

that I'm making time for fans, but also

that I'm able to get on what I need to do.

798

:

And then I think sometimes,

like the media before races, you know,

799

:

fans always come over

and they want autographs,

800

:

they want me to take pictures with them,

and I really want to do that.

801

:

But I also can't do it

too much before race,

802

:

because that can be pretty exhausting.

803

:

And so I think what's interesting for me

now is just figuring out

804

:

kind of with my team,

like how to balance all of that,

805

:

because first of all, I am a racer and

I need to go perform and I need to train.

806

:

But also, yeah, I really enjoy the fans

and they're a fun part of the experience,

807

:

and I want them to feel like

they're part of the journey too.

808

:

So I think it's just learning

how to balance that.

809

:

And that's something

I'm still figuring out right now.

810

:

Well, that's

a great segue into my next question,

811

:

because in the past you said that

you use cycling as an outlet for work,

812

:

but now that you're this cycling

superstar, what are you going to use

813

:

as an outlet from cycling

during your remaining

814

:

couple of weeks of the offseason?

815

:

And then, you know,

during during your off time, when you're

816

:

when you're back racing,

what how do you get away from it all?

817

:

Yeah, I've been keeping busy.

818

:

I it's actually it's funny,

819

:

I'm kind of getting back into the VC world

a little bit.

820

:

I'm, I'm giving a few speeches

to, kind of VC company off sites.

821

:

I'm giving a Ted talk.

822

:

At the end of the month,

I'm doing a fireside chat at Aubrey's,

823

:

which is the biggest conference

of women VCs.

824

:

And so it's been fun experience for me,

kind of

825

:

getting back into the business world

a little bit.

826

:

I, you know, it's like,

827

:

it's funny,

I'm getting speaking opportunities

828

:

that I wouldn't have had

if I just stayed in VC.

829

:

So it's like, I get like advocating

for kind of a non-linear path,

830

:

to kind of leapfrog some, some,

some opportunities in my life.

831

:

So that's been really fun

is, you know, this morning

832

:

I spoke to the Naval Academy

and to a group of students there.

833

:

And so it's I've had some

yeah, really fun speaking opportunities.

834

:

And that's been something I've enjoyed.

835

:

I'm also writing a book,

836

:

which I think has been

837

:

the most therapeutic

838

:

thing for me to do, and kind of reflecting

on my entire journey

839

:

from basically growing up in Alaska,

going to Harvard, working in VC,

840

:

you know, how did I make my decision

to leave for cycling?

841

:

What were the first few years really like?

842

:

What was my Olympic journey like,

and what actually happened?

843

:

Like,

what was I thinking about during the race?

844

:

And these are all questions

that people have asked me over and over.

845

:

And I think it's really exciting

to be able to put it into a book and share

846

:

my journey, but also share some things

that I think people can really relate to,

847

:

because I imagine

there's a lot of people out there

848

:

who maybe have a passion

that they want to pursue,

849

:

but they don't know how and they don't

know how to start it. They don't.

850

:

Or maybe they're scared of starting it

late in life.

851

:

Or maybe they're trying

to balance two things.

852

:

Or maybe they are a beginner at something

all over again,

853

:

and they don't know how to excel

as a beginner, you know?

854

:

And so I think these are things

that hopefully people can learn something

855

:

from my journey.

856

:

And I'm excited to share them, share

that with them.

857

:

So writing my book

I think has been therapeutic for me,

858

:

and I hope people enjoy reading it,

although I don't know

859

:

if it'll be published next year

or before LA:

860

:

We'll see. But, it is in the works.

861

:

So it looks like.

862

:

And it sounds like you're still super

busy.

863

:

Was flying here, flying there

having a speech,

864

:

meeting new people.

865

:

You ever nervous or afraid that you lose

866

:

focus on your job, on cycling

867

:

and you miss start training again

because, I do one more interview.

868

:

I do one more trip over there

because, well, I mean, it's paid probably.

869

:

Well.

870

:

And second, you only, maybe only once,

Olympic champion.

871

:

So you want to use that

as much as you can?

872

:

Of course. Totally logic and normal.

873

:

But you sometimes feel there could be a

conflict was

874

:

actually I should now start saying no

to this thing.

875

:

Settle down,

876

:

stay with my boyfriend and, you know,

start training, preparing next season.

877

:

And you think there could be a conflict

or you have somebody partnering up

878

:

with you telling you, hey, do this, don't

do this, don't do this, don't do this.

879

:

Yeah, definitely.

880

:

I think right now

I'm quite busy traveling around.

881

:

But come November and well,

I guess come December I'm

882

:

definitely going to not be taking in

a lot more travel at all.

883

:

So I think October, November,

884

:

you know, I'm off the bike in October

so I can do some of this stuff.

885

:

And then in November it's kind of a mix.

886

:

I have team camp in Girona.

I'm doing a few speaking gigs.

887

:

But then once December comes, you know,

I'm, I'm fully focused on next season,

888

:

and I've actually turned down

a lot of opportunities that are next

889

:

spring, just because I need to make sure

that I'm showing up to the season fresh.

890

:

So I don't know, like it's interesting,

I probably won't have as relaxing

891

:

of an off season, but at the same time,

it's very fulfilling and exciting for me

892

:

to do something different and it's

refreshing for me in a lot of ways too.

893

:

So, yeah,

I mean, and I also like writing my book,

894

:

like that's

something that is actually quite relaxing.

895

:

Like, I don't feel stressed about it

at all. There's no deadlines.

896

:

I don't have,

you know, a publishing company yet

897

:

that I've, you know, that has expectations

for me to do anything. So,

898

:

but yeah, to answer your question,

899

:

it's definitely something

that's on my mind.

900

:

It's not something that I've just kind of,

you know, worn off or ignored.

901

:

I think for me,

I really want to continue the success.

902

:

I think I'm still early in my career.

903

:

I have, you know,

want to go medal again in LA:

904

:

So I have several more years

905

:

of my professional career ahead of me,

and I'm not by any means done.

906

:

I have way more ambitious goals,

you know, than I've had before.

907

:

And so my priority is really saying

my priority priorities, my team.

908

:

And that's definitely going to be true

for the next four years

909

:

and definitely true

in a few months from now.

910

:

And so I think part of me

is trying to get out

911

:

as much media and business

and things as I can in the next few months

912

:

so that I can prioritise cycling,

starting in the new year.

913

:

You without

914

:

ruining

your this this chapter in your book.

915

:

You you mentioned the Olympic dream.

916

:

I think we all had an Olympic dream.

917

:

It started and for me it was.

918

:

I wanted to be in the Olympics

for ski racing.

919

:

Can you give us a little input

to what your

920

:

original thought or Olympic dream

was without ruining

921

:

anything that you're going to have

in your New York Times bestselling book?

922

:

Yeah.

923

:

You know, it's interesting,

like it took it took a lot of different

924

:

forms during my life.

925

:

When I was younger

and first saw the Olympics on TV,

926

:

I think I was eight years old,

like maybe 12.

927

:

You know, one of those,

I think it was maybe the Sydney Olympics

928

:

and I watched it on TV and I was like,

wow, like, these athletes are amazing.

929

:

And I had just started swimming.

930

:

Like I was really young.

931

:

I think I had just competed on my first

for me.

932

:

And so athletics

was very forefront of my mind.

933

:

And I watched these swimmers on TV

and I was like, I think Michael Phelps.

934

:

It was his first Olympic debut.

I think he was like 15.

935

:

And then I thought, wow, like,

I want to do that one day.

936

:

Like I want to be an Olympian.

937

:

And I was so young, I didn't

I didn't realise that the Olympics

938

:

were like a big deal

to the rest of the world.

939

:

I just I saw it on TV and I was like,

I want to do that one day.

940

:

And so I started from a really young age,

kind of just like this,

941

:

you know, like in the back of my mind,

just this idea.

942

:

And then as I got older and older,

you know, and try different sports,

943

:

I think for me, the pinnacle of

944

:

excellence in sports was the Olympics.

945

:

And so as a rower, I thought about going

to the Olympics for rowing.

946

:

And I always thought like,

if I were to do this in ten years,

947

:

like I want to go to the Olympics,

948

:

if I were doing this in ten years,

I want to go the Olympics. And,

949

:

and so the rower in high school,

I thought about it.

950

:

And as a writer in college,

I even thought about it.

951

:

But then, you know,

it's never a priority of mine.

952

:

And, and when I moved to New York City

after college,

953

:

I started my career, and I think my career

and life just kind of got in the way.

954

:

And, it was my priority at that point in

my life was to start my career

955

:

and when I started cycling,

I also wasn't thinking about

956

:

going to the Olympics because,

957

:

I mean, I was doing cycling for fun,

you know, I was just like

958

:

it was a hobby on the side,

and I was really competitive about it.

959

:

But, you know,

you don't think about go to the Olympics

960

:

were a sport that you just started a year

before.

961

:

You know,

962

:

when I started cycling, I was

963

:

originally thinking of cross training

because I wanted to go to the Olympics

964

:

for rowing, you know,

and that's kind of what it was.

965

:

But then when I moved to California,

966

:

I started going on these long century

rides.

967

:

I started getting a bit more competitive.

968

:

And I think when I joined

my first domestic pro team,

969

:

that's when I was like,

wow, this is kind of my sport now.

970

:

And that was also at a point where

971

:

I had been working in VC for

maybe two and a half years,

972

:

and I realised, I think it was

when I was living in California,

973

:

maybe I was 26 or 27.

974

:

And I realised that this Olympic dream

I had as a kid, like it was still there

975

:

and it was very alive, and it

and it had never gone away like I'd always

976

:

and I had always had like off and doing

the sport in ten years, I want to go away.

977

:

And here I was at 26 and I was like, well,

if I'm doing the sport in ten years,

978

:

like I'm

probably too old to go to the Olympics.

979

:

And I was like the first time

980

:

where I realised, like, life is short

and now I'm getting a little older

981

:

and I can no longer think of the Olympics

as something in the future.

982

:

Like, if I want to go to the Olympics,

like I have to do it now,

983

:

like there is no like ten years from now.

984

:

And I think it was kind

of this revelation for me

985

:

that, but the, the window

986

:

for certain dreams in my life was closing

because I think when you're young,

987

:

you kind of think you have forever

988

:

and you always think a dream

to something else in the future.

989

:

And here I was at 26 and I was like, wow.

990

:

Like there's dreams that I can't wait.

991

:

And for the future anymore.

992

:

Like, now, it's now or never.

993

:

And so that's when I was like,

wow, if I want to go to the Olympics

994

:

and I have this childhood dream, like,

I don't I don't have the choice to wait.

995

:

Like, I have to quit my job and I have to

go, and I have to do it now.

996

:

Like, not tomorrow, not a month from now.

997

:

Like I have to do it now.

998

:

And so that's when I decided

to go to Europe for my first races.

999

:

I took a month off work.

:

00:47:28,428 --> 00:47:31,473

I worked part time and remotely,

and it was Covid,

:

00:47:31,473 --> 00:47:34,351

so it was a little more acceptable.

Went to Europe. I want to stage it.

:

00:47:34,351 --> 00:47:38,230

My first race came back and I said, okay,

I kind of have

:

00:47:38,438 --> 00:47:42,150

maybe what it takes to have a 10% chance

of making it to the Olympics.

:

00:47:42,693 --> 00:47:45,320

And that's when I really got

really serious about cycling.

:

00:47:45,320 --> 00:47:47,114

And I said, I want to go to pro,

I want to move to Europe.

:

00:47:47,114 --> 00:47:50,117

I'm going to do everything that I can

to try and make the Olympic team.

:

00:47:50,325 --> 00:47:54,580

And, and for me, like, I still knew that

the chances are really low.

:

00:47:54,663 --> 00:47:58,584

Like, I just started cycling four years

before I knew that

:

00:47:58,584 --> 00:48:01,587

maybe I had a 10% chance of making it

to the Olympics, were cycling.

:

00:48:01,753 --> 00:48:04,882

But I also knew that if I didn't try,

the chances were zero and I was like,

:

00:48:04,882 --> 00:48:07,926

okay, well, 10% chance, 0% chance

like that should be a no brainer.

:

00:48:07,926 --> 00:48:12,431

Like, why would I

why would I, you know, trade 10% for 0%.

:

00:48:13,056 --> 00:48:16,059

And so I decided to, to basically

give up everything and to go do it.

:

00:48:16,435 --> 00:48:19,229

And I did it

because, you know, the Olympics, they were

:

00:48:19,229 --> 00:48:20,355

they were childhood dream.

:

00:48:20,355 --> 00:48:22,608

It was kind of the biggest dream

I'd ever had,

:

00:48:22,608 --> 00:48:26,236

even though I had never prioritised it

in the way that I really needed to.

:

00:48:27,779 --> 00:48:30,616

But but yeah, the

time came where I realised that I couldn't

:

00:48:30,616 --> 00:48:32,367

I couldn't let life

get in the way anymore,

:

00:48:32,367 --> 00:48:36,622

and I couldn't kind of let life

decide the direction I was going to go.

:

00:48:36,622 --> 00:48:39,499

I had to make it happen

if I wanted to make it happen,

:

00:48:39,499 --> 00:48:41,376

like I had to take charge

and make it happen,

:

00:48:41,376 --> 00:48:42,461

and I had to change the direction

:

00:48:42,461 --> 00:48:44,046

of my life,

because the direction of my life

:

00:48:44,046 --> 00:48:46,298

at the time

was not leading me to the Olympics.

:

00:48:46,298 --> 00:48:50,052

So I think that's kind of the

the genesis of the Olympic journey.

:

00:48:50,052 --> 00:48:54,348

But I can elaborate on the more recent

part of the journey as well.

:

00:48:55,724 --> 00:48:58,268

So now that you talked about this

:

00:48:58,268 --> 00:49:01,271

Olympic dream, the dream now is for think.

:

00:49:01,313 --> 00:49:02,689

Mission accomplished.

:

00:49:02,689 --> 00:49:04,691

Now, what is your next dream?

:

00:49:04,691 --> 00:49:08,403

The Olympics in front of your home

crowd in LA?

:

00:49:08,403 --> 00:49:11,406

Or maybe Tour de France podium?

:

00:49:11,615 --> 00:49:13,241

What would be your next dream?

:

00:49:13,241 --> 00:49:17,621

You want to throw everything

into the battle to achieve that dream?

:

00:49:18,664 --> 00:49:19,539

It's a great question.

:

00:49:19,539 --> 00:49:22,584

I, I'm still kind of I mean,

I definitely want to compete in LA.

:

00:49:22,626 --> 00:49:24,920

I'd love to compete in the time

trial as well.

:

00:49:24,920 --> 00:49:26,922

I think this year

I tried to go for the time trial

:

00:49:26,922 --> 00:49:30,342

and I didn't make it so going to LA

and competing in the time

:

00:49:30,342 --> 00:49:33,345

trial would be another big goal of mine,

especially on home crowds.

:

00:49:34,930 --> 00:49:37,391

But, you know, it's, yeah,

:

00:49:37,391 --> 00:49:41,395

you know, I, I, I, I still have so much

I want to accomplish as a cyclist.

:

00:49:41,395 --> 00:49:43,814

Like, I also want to be a world champion,

:

00:49:43,814 --> 00:49:47,317

either in the road race

or in the time trial, or in team pursuit.

:

00:49:47,359 --> 00:49:49,361

But having ended my career

:

00:49:49,361 --> 00:49:52,364

with rainbow stripes

is something I definitely want to do.

:

00:49:52,489 --> 00:49:54,950

I would love to win a stage

at the tour de France.

:

00:49:54,950 --> 00:49:56,201

You know, I've won stages at the world.

:

00:49:56,201 --> 00:49:57,828

Do I have won stages of the Giro?

So kind of.

:

00:49:57,828 --> 00:50:01,039

The last one to tick off is the tour de

France, and I haven't done that yet.

:

00:50:01,039 --> 00:50:04,334

So that's,

definitely on my radar for next year.

:

00:50:04,876 --> 00:50:08,797

And then I think I'd like to win

one of the classics

:

00:50:08,797 --> 00:50:11,299

or one of the monuments,

although I think Strada

:

00:50:11,299 --> 00:50:14,302

Bianche might be more important to me

than some of the other monuments.

:

00:50:14,428 --> 00:50:16,471

And I'd like to be a bit of a GC rider.

:

00:50:16,471 --> 00:50:19,808

But but again, like, I have four years

to make some of these goals happen.

:

00:50:19,808 --> 00:50:23,979

And I think kind of biting them off year

by year is a goal of mine.

:

00:50:23,979 --> 00:50:27,607

So yeah, I'd like to,

when the rainbow stripes

:

00:50:27,816 --> 00:50:30,235

like the one two stages is sort of France

and I'd like to make it to LA.

:

00:50:30,235 --> 00:50:32,529

So those are kind of my,

my goals right now.

:

00:50:32,529 --> 00:50:35,323

But I'll be honest, you know,

the Olympic Olympics was a dream.

:

00:50:35,323 --> 00:50:37,325

Like it wasn't a goal. It was a dream.

:

00:50:37,325 --> 00:50:40,704

And I don't think I have a dream

as big right now as I did

:

00:50:40,704 --> 00:50:41,913

before going to the Olympics.

:

00:50:41,913 --> 00:50:44,332

You know, I think what I have right now

in front of me are goals,

:

00:50:44,332 --> 00:50:45,584

they're not necessarily dreams.

:

00:50:45,584 --> 00:50:50,255

I think a dream would be

a much bigger life event, and I don't know

:

00:50:50,255 --> 00:50:53,884

if I have a a dream in the next two years

that I'm looking to accomplish.

:

00:50:53,884 --> 00:50:57,763

But I think that's the exciting part of,

of this phase of my life, is that I can

:

00:50:57,763 --> 00:50:58,680

come up with new ones.

:

00:51:00,807 --> 00:51:04,061

One of the things that I take away

from listening to you

:

00:51:04,061 --> 00:51:07,064

speak all the time is that you're a very,

:

00:51:07,355 --> 00:51:10,567

you're you're a good listener.

:

00:51:10,776 --> 00:51:13,904

And then you seem to take criticism

:

00:51:14,237 --> 00:51:17,866

as constructive,

and then you, you learn from that.

:

00:51:17,866 --> 00:51:21,828

And for for the young men

and women out there,

:

00:51:21,828 --> 00:51:27,250

being new at something or not

good at something, if you don't listen,

:

00:51:27,375 --> 00:51:31,421

you're never going to learn

and you've just kind of mastered that.

:

00:51:31,421 --> 00:51:34,424

I remember when we spoke earlier,

you mentioned that,

:

00:51:34,716 --> 00:51:37,219

on your old team,

:

00:51:37,219 --> 00:51:41,765

there was a teammate that was at that time

kind of one of the meanest

:

00:51:41,765 --> 00:51:42,933

and then turned out to be

:

00:51:42,933 --> 00:51:44,893

one of your favorite teammates

of all time,

:

00:51:44,893 --> 00:51:47,354

because she actually kept it

real with you.

:

00:51:47,354 --> 00:51:47,938

Right.

:

00:51:47,938 --> 00:51:53,068

So what would you suggest to those younger

or less experienced,

:

00:51:53,401 --> 00:51:57,405

especially young women

that are having to navigate the waters

:

00:51:57,405 --> 00:52:03,161

that that you've obviously successfully,

successfully navigated recently just

:

00:52:04,329 --> 00:52:05,622

learning as you go,

:

00:52:05,622 --> 00:52:08,625

what is there any tips that you can give?

:

00:52:08,708 --> 00:52:11,711

Yeah, I think that, you know,

there's a few things, like,

:

00:52:11,711 --> 00:52:13,630

we always want to do what we're good at.

:

00:52:13,630 --> 00:52:15,048

We always want to do what's comfortable.

:

00:52:15,048 --> 00:52:19,136

And I think it's because we're afraid

of looking bad to other people.

:

00:52:19,136 --> 00:52:21,096

We're afraid

of recognising our weaknesses.

:

00:52:21,096 --> 00:52:26,351

And, the only way like, the thing is,

like, when we do something, we're bad.

:

00:52:26,351 --> 00:52:27,227

It it kind of

:

00:52:27,227 --> 00:52:28,812

takes a head to our confidence,

:

00:52:28,812 --> 00:52:31,231

but there's nothing that's

going to take a hit to our confidence.

:

00:52:31,231 --> 00:52:34,359

Then if we let that weakness persist

for the next ten years.

:

00:52:34,693 --> 00:52:34,985

Right.

:

00:52:34,985 --> 00:52:38,029

So if it's like, why would I want that

weakness in ten years?

:

00:52:38,029 --> 00:52:41,658

But if I work on it right now and kind of

let my ego go in the short term,

:

00:52:41,950 --> 00:52:43,827

then in ten years

that's no longer going to be weakness,

:

00:52:43,827 --> 00:52:45,579

and that's going to be a huge source

of confidence for me,

:

00:52:45,579 --> 00:52:48,456

because I have one less weakness

that could cause and insecurity. Right.

:

00:52:48,456 --> 00:52:51,877

And so I think, when you

when you work on your weaknesses,

:

00:52:51,877 --> 00:52:54,379

like you're taking kind of a hit

to your confidence in the short term,

:

00:52:54,379 --> 00:52:56,715

but it's really going to build

your confidence for the long term.

:

00:52:56,715 --> 00:53:00,051

And I think just like remembering

that long term mindset really helps me,

:

00:53:00,135 --> 00:53:03,138

kind of really focus on my weaknesses.

:

00:53:03,847 --> 00:53:05,098

Something that I really like to say.

:

00:53:05,098 --> 00:53:07,559

I had a former manager

and boss in venture capital,

:

00:53:07,559 --> 00:53:10,145

and she used to say

that the best employees were T-shaped,

:

00:53:10,145 --> 00:53:12,898

where they're really broad

in a lot of areas, but, or.

:

00:53:12,898 --> 00:53:15,025

Sorry, they're really kind of,

you know, they're good

:

00:53:15,025 --> 00:53:17,986

in a broad set of areas,

but they're really experts in one area.

:

00:53:18,069 --> 00:53:20,405

And I think I took that approach

to racing where,

:

00:53:20,405 --> 00:53:21,907

you know,

I wanted to be a good enough climber.

:

00:53:21,907 --> 00:53:24,576

I want to be good enough descender,

I want to be a good enough sprinter.

:

00:53:24,576 --> 00:53:25,994

But really, I needed to to

:

00:53:25,994 --> 00:53:28,663

and I needed all those things

to not get dropped in a race.

:

00:53:28,663 --> 00:53:31,458

But the way I was going to win a race,

I had to be the best at something.

:

00:53:31,458 --> 00:53:34,669

And so for me, you know, I have kind of

this broad range of skills on the bike.

:

00:53:34,669 --> 00:53:36,713

But then my secret sauce is kind of my,

my time trial

:

00:53:36,713 --> 00:53:39,007

and in my attacking and like,

that's how I win.

:

00:53:39,007 --> 00:53:40,425

And that's kind of my deep area.

:

00:53:40,425 --> 00:53:43,929

And so I think for for people who are,

you know, looking at their weaknesses,

:

00:53:43,929 --> 00:53:44,638

it's like,

:

00:53:44,638 --> 00:53:47,933

think about the areas, you know,

whether it's your breath or your depth

:

00:53:47,933 --> 00:53:49,267

that you need to work on

:

00:53:49,267 --> 00:53:50,435

and think about, like,

:

00:53:50,435 --> 00:53:52,395

what are the things that are going to get

you dropped in the race?

:

00:53:52,395 --> 00:53:54,522

What are the things that are going

to prevent you from winning?

:

00:53:54,522 --> 00:53:58,026

And if you can really work on

those weaknesses and like that's, that's

:

00:53:58,109 --> 00:53:59,736

that's

going to make the difference for you.

:

00:53:59,736 --> 00:54:03,823

And as for me, like working on

my attacking might not make me

:

00:54:04,115 --> 00:54:06,910

a significantly better writer,

but working on my descending right now.

:

00:54:06,910 --> 00:54:09,037

Well,

and so that's kind of what I'm working on.

:

00:54:10,080 --> 00:54:11,289

So I think, you know,

:

00:54:11,289 --> 00:54:14,709

having having the ability

to, like, recognise,

:

00:54:16,503 --> 00:54:19,297

like, what are your goals and what's

preventing you from getting there?

:

00:54:19,297 --> 00:54:22,509

And oftentimes it's, it's actually our ego

that's preventing us from getting there

:

00:54:22,509 --> 00:54:25,929

because it's our ego that's preventing us

from working on our our weak spots.

:

00:54:26,137 --> 00:54:28,181

And the weak spots

are preventing us from getting there.

:

00:54:28,181 --> 00:54:31,643

And I think when you can recognise

that your ego is the biggest thing holding

:

00:54:31,643 --> 00:54:33,520

you back from where you want to go,

:

00:54:33,520 --> 00:54:36,064

then then suddenly, like,

you can't blame the rest of the world.

:

00:54:36,064 --> 00:54:38,984

Like you can't blame the weather,

you can't blame your coaches.

:

00:54:38,984 --> 00:54:41,152

You can't blame,

you know, the fact that you started late.

:

00:54:41,152 --> 00:54:42,279

It's like you can't blame

:

00:54:42,279 --> 00:54:44,281

all these external things for the reason

you're not successful.

:

00:54:44,281 --> 00:54:47,284

Like oftentimes the reason we're not

successful is because we have an ego

:

00:54:47,367 --> 00:54:49,244

that's preventing us

from working on our weaknesses,

:

00:54:49,244 --> 00:54:51,454

which is preventing us

from being really great at something.

:

00:54:51,454 --> 00:54:55,292

And so I think it creates a high degree

of individual accountability

:

00:54:55,292 --> 00:54:57,127

to and we're willing

to work on our weaknesses.

:

00:54:59,129 --> 00:54:59,629

Don't we?

:

00:54:59,629 --> 00:55:04,175

Some wise words, and I'm going to take

some of that with me.

:

00:55:04,426 --> 00:55:08,805

So Kristen, it was absolutely fantastic

to talk to you.

:

00:55:08,805 --> 00:55:12,642

And finishing

with an almost philosophical little touch

:

00:55:13,101 --> 00:55:15,854

sanctioned million

for being our guest tonight.

:

00:55:15,854 --> 00:55:20,317

And we wish you well all the best

for your whirlwind trip was all the media,

:

00:55:20,567 --> 00:55:25,030

some nice relaxed time and then a clear

focus on next season, we will follow.

:

00:55:25,447 --> 00:55:27,866

Whatever happens in your journey

next year.

:

00:55:27,866 --> 00:55:30,744

Thanks again for being our guest tonight.

:

00:55:30,744 --> 00:55:31,911

Thank you so much for having me.

:

00:55:31,911 --> 00:55:34,914

It's great to be a repeat guest and,

hopefully it's not the last.

:

00:55:35,582 --> 00:55:37,459

Well, that's everything for this week.

:

00:55:37,459 --> 00:55:41,463

Now remember to follow us at Odd Tandem

on TikTok,

:

00:55:41,463 --> 00:55:45,508

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you get your favorite podcasts.

:

00:55:45,550 --> 00:55:48,595

It's thanks to Kristen

for joining the podcast.

:

00:55:48,762 --> 00:55:52,682

And also remember,

if you want to see the video version

:

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:

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:

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About the Podcast

The Odd Tandem Cycling Podcast with Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt
Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt on all things cycling
Bobby Julich and Jens Voigt are back with a brand new cycling podcast. Speaking to the biggest names in the professional peloton and sharing their wisdom from their own careers.