Homer’s Kristen Faulkner recalls her ride to cycling gold at the Paris Olympics

Paris Olympics two-time cycling golden medalist Kristen Faulkner of Homer celebrates astatine nan Eiffel Tower. (Zac Williams/Courtesy of EF Pro Cycling)

Homer’s Kristen Faulkner came retired of comparative obscurity to triumph not one, but 2 golden medals successful cycling astatine nan 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Jamie Diep said pinch Faulkner connected Friday astir really increasing up successful Homer shaped her fast-paced travel to nan podium.

Editor’s note: The pursuing transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Jamie Diep: You went from gradually making a sanction for yourself successful master cycling to winning nan first American Road Race and Team Pursuit successful decades. How has that been for you passim your clip astatine nan Olympics?

Kristen Faulkner: Yeah. You know, each title has been really typical successful their ain way. You know, nan first roadworthy title I deliberation for nan U.S. successful 40 years. To beryllium honest, I really didn’t cognize that truth until aft nan race, and I wasn’t really reasoning astir what’s been done successful nan past aliases what hasn’t been done. I was conscionable reasoning about, you know, ‘how do I triumph this race?’ And afterwards, group came up to maine and told me, you know, nan history of it, and it made it rather typical and rather unique.

And nan aforesaid pinch nan squad pursuit, actually. It was nan first clip nan U.S. has ever won golden successful Team Pursuit. And truthful that was really special. I deliberation we, we knew we had a really beardown squad going in. But we besides knew that we had to propulsion a batch of things together connected title day, and we had to really person a cleanable title successful bid to win. So they were each very different races, very different journeys to get there, very different preparation. And nan roadworthy title was much of an individual event. The squad pursuit was much of a squad event. And truthful they felt very different, moreover though they were some motorcycle races. And truthful each triumph is very typical successful its ain way.

JD: Let’s talk astir nan roadworthy race. You know, that was an unthinkable finish. What was going done your mind arsenic you pulled up of nan battalion successful those past fewer miles of nan race?

KF: Well, I knew I needed to onslaught nan group earlier nan decorativeness and spell distant solo to nan decorativeness line. And nan logic is that I was not nan fastest sprinter successful nan group. I was astir apt nan weakest sprinter, and truthful I didn’t want to spell to nan line, because location were 4 of america and only 3 medals. And truthful I said, ‘If I spell to nan statement pinch these girls, I’m astir apt not going to extremity up pinch a medal.’ And truthful I knew that nan champion infinitesimal to onslaught would beryllium arsenic soon arsenic we caught those beforehand 2 riders, because that’s erstwhile everyone was going to beryllium nan astir tired. And truthful I said, ‘Okay, arsenic soon arsenic we drawback them, I person to go.’ And it’s benignant of a now-or-never moment, you know, I request to attack, and I request to spell each in, and I can’t look back. And if it useful and I’m going to win, and if it doesn’t work, I‘m gonna get fourth. But those are nan cards I had to play. And successful roadworthy racing, you really person to deliberation connected your feet. You person to spell each successful pinch your decision, and you can’t second-guess yourself, aliases won’t work. And so, yeah, I deliberation successful those past kilometers, I was like, ‘what is happening?’ But besides astatine nan aforesaid time, you know, conscionable really focused connected on nan present and now and doing what I had to do to get crossed nan line. There was nary celebrating earlier nan line. I wasn’t convinced I’d won until I was 500 meters from nan decorativeness line, and past I benignant of knew, but yeah, it was a very calculated move, and I knew that I had to spell each in, and I had to do it if I wanted nan chance to win.

JD: What astir nan squad pursuit? You were a later prime for nan event. What was it for illustration winning that title arsenic a squad versus nan roadworthy race, which is an individual event?

KF: So really nan squad pursuit, I’d been selected successful June. So I was selected nan aforesaid arsenic each nan different riders. There were 5 riders selected, 4 of which ended up racing, and truthful I knew rather early that I would beryllium connected that team. I deliberation it was different, though, because I was nan newest rider to nan team. So nan different 3 had ridden together astatine erstwhile World Championships. They’d rode together successful Tokyo astatine nan Olympics, and truthful I was nan only 1 connected nan squad who hadn’t ridden an Olympics pinch nan squad before. And I was besides nan only 1 who ne'er won a badge successful nan event. And this was my very first twelvemonth competing pinch nan team. And truthful successful galore ways, I was nan slightest experienced, and perchance nan weakest 1 successful nan group successful that way.

And physically, I was strong, but I was nan slightest experienced, and truthful I conjecture I was nan astir chartless successful nan group. And truthful I deliberation that title was really typical to me, because I deliberation I went into it emotion like, if we don’t get a medal, it mightiness beryllium connected me, because, you know, they’re each experienced, and I’m showing up arsenic nan slightest knowledgeable one. And truthful I felt that I had to really level up my crippled and really beryllium myself that I beryllium there.

So nan past twelvemonth has been specified a heavy learning trajectory. You know, I’m surrounded by 3 riders who were each measurement amended than maine a twelvemonth ago, and I really felt that I had to gain my spot connected that team. You know, I wasn’t nan 1 who’d earned a medal. I hadn’t been to Tokyo before. And truthful nan past twelvemonth has been, I don’t want to opportunity for illustration an uphill battle, but that’s really, you know, what it is like, having to gain my cards connected that squad and to gain nan respect of my teammates.

And truthful when, moreover though I was selected for nan team, I still had a batch that I needed to amended on, and a batch to learn. And truthful connected title day, I felt, you know, we had gold-medal potential, and I really wanted to lend to nan squad winning, and I wanted to make judge that they felt assured that they’d selected maine for nan team, you know. And I had to gain that spot, and I really had to gain that spot. And truthful erstwhile we went into nan race, I conscionable said that you know, like, I person to make this nan title of my life. I person to conflict for my life, and I person to springiness 100% for my teammates.

JD: In nan midst of winning these races and doing each of these things. I’m judge it’s been a spot of a whirlwind, but we’re each still human. So aft your races, what was nan first point that you ate, some for nan roadworthy title and nan squad pursuit?

KF: Well, really nan first point that I ate was a acold Coca-Cola aft nan roadworthy race, because I needed nan bubbles. You know, it was basking out. I needed nan sugar, I needed nan hydration. And truthful really I crossed nan decorativeness statement and I was fixed 1 Coca Cola, and I vanished it correct away. And I said, ‘Do you person a 2nd one? I request a 2nd one.’ So I really had 2 Coca-Colas, were nan first point that I consumed aft I crossed nan decorativeness statement successful nan roadworthy race.

And past successful nan squad pursuit, erstwhile I crossed nan decorativeness line, really nan first point was conscionable my betterment shake. It had, like, it was for illustration a macromolecule shingle pinch a small spot of sugar. But past I besides had immoderate gummy bears, because I needed to just, you know, get immoderate sweetener successful me.

And past erstwhile I came home, I deliberation I had a really bully meal pinch immoderate salmon, and I had a cocoa croissant for dinner, because I’ve been holding disconnected connected nan cocoa croissant since I sewage to France. I don’t cognize really I had nan willpower to not person 1 until then, but yeah, that night, I had a cocoa croissant, and it was perfectly delicious.

JD: You’re from Homer, but you didn’t really get a commencement successful cycling until you moved to New York and took each of those classes. So really did increasing up successful Homer style you arsenic an athlete?

KF: It made maine really resilient, you know, I deliberation Alaskans are conscionable resilient people. I deliberation nan upbringing, arsenic a kid successful Alaska, you’re conscionable exposed to much things, you know? You, you spell to nan wilderness, it’s nan utmost cold. There’s a batch of independence. And successful nan culture, I deliberation this benignant of constituent of, you know, modern self-sufficiency successful in Alaska, you know. We’re not, we’re not surviving subsistence successful Alaska, but there’s still this constituent of, you know, it’s still benignant of nan free onshore up there, you know, and and truthful I deliberation there’s this really beardown consciousness of independency successful nan culture.

I deliberation Alaska made maine really tough. It made maine consciousness that immoderate I wanted successful life, I really had to activity for. It taught maine to really beryllium independent and person condemnation successful my ain belief. And I wasn’t surrounded by nan media increasing up, I was, I don’t want to opportunity disconnected nan grid, but Alaska arsenic a authorities is simply a spot disconnected nan grid, you know? And successful that sense, I deliberation learning to conscionable spot my gut and beryllium independent and not deliberation excessively overmuch astir what nan remainder of nan world thinks, I think, is simply a really valuable instruction arsenic a kid.

You know, nan different point is conscionable my parents made maine activity a batch erstwhile I was a kid, (I) work(ed) successful nan hotel. I was scrubbing toilets arsenic a housekeeper for a agelong time. I worked successful landscaping. I was a busser successful nan restaurant. And so, you know, learning nan worth of difficult activity arsenic a kid arsenic well. So those are each really important things.

And you know, I deliberation 1 of nan astir underrated things besides is nan consciousness of community. So erstwhile you, erstwhile you turn up successful a really mini town, you person teachers arsenic your neighbors and everyone benignant of knows each different and watches retired for each other. And that’s thing that I didn’t recognize really overmuch I needed and really overmuch I weighted for nan first half of my life. And past erstwhile I moved to New York City, I realized it was specified a large spot and location were truthful galore people, and I really missed that small-town feel. And that’s erstwhile I realized that if I wanted that, I really had to cultivate it. And portion of nan logic why I joined a cycling squad is I really wanted that benignant of squad camaraderie, that organization consciousness that I had successful assemblage sports and that I had increasing up successful Homer.

And erstwhile nan Olympics came around, I had truthful galore friends and family that came complete to support me, and it conscionable made maine recognize conscionable really overmuch of a immense woody it is erstwhile you, erstwhile you person group astir you that person known you for truthful long, seen you struggle. Have seen you activity hard? Have seen you erstwhile you fell, erstwhile you sewage backmost up. And I deliberation having that organization support maine my full life, proceeding them cheer for maine from erstwhile I went to Paris, and having babysitters and friends wearing T-shirts and said, ‘Go Kristen.’ You cognize that conscionable meant truthful overmuch to me, and really gave maine a batch of strength, and made maine recognize that they really believed successful me, but besides they would beryllium location for maine nary matter what happened, and nary matter whether I earned a badge aliases not, and I deliberation that really meant a batch to me.

And yeah, that consciousness of organization is thing I dream Homer ne'er lets spell of, and I dream it continues to cultivate, because it makes a large quality successful people’s lives for illustration me.

JD: Finally, what’s adjacent for you connected and disconnected nan title course? Are location plans to return nan Homer? I cognize that our mayor, Ken Castner, has mentioned holding a motorcycle parade to observe your win.

KF: Yeah, I really person nan Tour de France that starts successful 3 days. So connected nan bike. That’s my adjacent large goal, very soon pinch my EF (inaudible) Cannondale teammates. And truthful I’m really excited for that. It’ll beryllium an eight-day shape race. It starts successful Rotterdam, and past it benignant of goes each nan measurement done nan eastbound seashore of France, each nan measurement south. So that’s my first on-the-bike goal.

And past my benignant of off-the-bike plans, I’m really going to walk Christmas successful Alaska this (December), truthful I will beryllium returning home. And I conscionable want to springiness a large hug to everyone who supported me, everyone who shouted for me, everyone who had ‘Go Kristen’ shirts, everyone who didn’t, you know, everyone who conscionable has been location to support maine this full time. You know, I had group who I swam pinch arsenic a small kid that were posting astir what it was for illustration to aquatics pinch me, and they were cheering maine connected and wishing maine bully luck. And I conscionable want to springiness each those group a really large hug and show them convey you, because they gave maine truthful overmuch support and spot erstwhile I needed it, and I deliberation it made a large difference.

JD: Thank you truthful much.

KF: Okay, convey you. I admit it.