Kristen Faulkner (EF-Oatly-Cannondale) is making her second look on the Tour de France Femmes because the Olympic Games street race and Team Pursuit champion, nevertheless, it isn’t her newly acquired gold bands and gold-detailed bike that she’s most grateful for, however merely being wholesome at the beginning of biking’s greatest race.
Her first look on the inaugural 2022 version delivered a pre-race case of COVID-19 to dampen her preparations and three early crashes led to her solely ending within the prime 25 of 1 stage. After a profitable Giro d’Italia Women it grew to become a Tour of survival for the Alaskan. Still, survive she did, all the best way to the highest of La Super Planche des Belles Filles, 26:02 down on 2022 race winner and stage victor on that day, Annemiek van Vleuten.
The rotten luck across the race continued, in truth changing into even worse in 2023, when after being hit by a automobile coaching in California Faulkner was compelled to overlook out on a second crack on the Tour. The 2024 race is a clear slate Faulkner welcomes with open arms.
“I’m simply so excited to race this race wholesome. I’ve by no means been in a position to and it is probably the most iconic street race on the calendar,” Faulkner instructed Cyclingnews in Rotterdam forward of the primary overseas Grand Départ.
“I’m tremendous excited for it, and to simply be right here and really feel good and really feel wholesome is basically all I’ve wished for the reason that Tour first got here round.”
Faulkner, 31, will take to the beginning having had probably the most profitable four-day run of her whole profession, including two Olympic gold medals from the street race and Team Pursuit at Paris 2024 to a palmarès that options nationwide titles and stage wins on the Giro and La Vuelta Femenina.
Having skilled very particularly for the efforts required for the 4km staff pursuit, Faulkner is altering focus again to the street with none stress to dwell as much as her golden triumphs. But she is going to embrace any kind she will be able to muster up all through the seven-day, eight-stage race.
“I’ve been centered lots on my form of sub-five-minute energy – that is what I did for the Team Pursuit and form of for the street race. So I believe the extra form of Ardennes and Classics-style course levels right here on the Tour will go well with me finest,” Faulkner instructed reporters, with a watch on stage 4 to Liège.
“I have never carried out too many longer efforts, however we now have some teammates who’re actually good at sprinting, who’re actually good in climbing, and I hope to help them within the levels the place they’ll do very well.”
She confirmed there could be no GC bid for her however conceded that “if the climbing legs are there, they’re there, I’m not going to waste them. But I’m not anticipating them to be what they had been – my legs – for the Team Pursuit on the Olympics.”
Faulkner, who didn’t rejoice over the road in Paris after surprising a star-studded group of Marianne Vos (Netherlands), Lotte Kopecky (Belgium) and Blanka Vas (Hungary) to take gold, admitted that whereas she was conscious she’d gained, it felt nearly like a dream.
“I stated I might be completely happy to stroll away from the Olympics with one medal of any color. So to stroll away with two golds is way past my expectations,” Faulkner stated. When requested if it had sunk in but she added: “No, undoubtedly not.”
“I completed the street race, and my first thought once I crossed the road was, ‘I must hold spinning, I’ve a race in two days’. So I used to be proper again into race mode for Team Pursuit. And then as quickly as that was over, it was media and concentrate on the Tour de France. So I believe after the Tour de France Femmes I’ll be capable to chill out for the primary time and actually let it sink in.”
Faulkner even recalled the weird second she rolled throughout the road on Pont d’Iéna with no arms up, however feeling amazed.
“I knew I gained. But it was simply so overwhelming. I believe it took me a little bit bit to be like, ‘Is this actual life? Am I dreaming, like, what’s taking place?’ It was a whole lot of feelings at that second,” the US rider stated.
“It offers me a whole lot of confidence in my kind and health proper now. And I come into the Tour actually excited, each for myself, but in addition for my teammates, as a result of I believe I may also help them in the event that they wish to go for levels as properly. I’m simply really feel actually assured within the kind and in addition my psychological state, like I’m in a extremely good temper.”
No matter what occurs subsequent 2024 is already a massively profitable 12 months for Faulkner as she wears the celebs and stripes jersey with delight on her gold-detailed bike. A Tour stage win could be the cherry atop the cake and it could be no shock if the Olympic champion completes the Grand Tour set, given her flying kind this summer time.
