Kristen Faulkner, born in Homer, Alaska, is an accomplished American racing cyclist currently riding for the UCI Women’s Continental Team EF–Oatly–Cannondale.
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She recently made headlines by winning the gold medal in the women’s cycling road race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first American to win gold in cycling in 40 years.
Early Life and Education
Faulkner grew up in the Alaskan fishing community of Homer along with her four siblings: Katie, Andrew, William, and Nicholas.
She attended Phillips Academy in Massachusetts, where she excelled as a student and athlete, participating in varsity running, swimming, and rowing.
She later graduated from Harvard in 2016 with a B.A. in computer science and set a university record for the fastest 2k indoor rowing time for lightweight women.
Career Beginnings
Kristen Faulkner began her competitive cycling career in New York City in 2017 while working as an investment associate at Bessemer Venture Partners.
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In 2018, she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and joined Team Tibco–Silicon Valley Bank in 2020.
Remarkably, during her first year of professional cycling, she continued working full-time as an investment associate at Threshold Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm in Silicon Valley.
National and Olympic Success
In May 2024, Faulkner secured the USA National Road Race Championship title and finished second in the Time Trial.
Her performance earned her a spot on the U.S. team for the 2024 Summer Olympics, where she joined forces with Chloé Dygert for the road race and team pursuit events.
Despite initially being a replacement on the Olympic team, Faulkner’s determination and skill led her to a historic victory in the women’s road race, finishing the 158-kilometer course 58 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, Lotte Kopecky.
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