Kristen Faulkner’s gold medal in the cycling road race, Team USA’s first in 40 years, isn’t a result of her singular lifelong path in cycling. She wasn’t a favorite. In fact, she hadn’t even technically qualified. Instead, she used her relative newness to the sport and learnings from her past successes out of the saddle to make a break for the finish line.

Follow the show on the Amazon Music or your favorite podcast platform. And watch and listen to every moment of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games July 26 – August 11 on NBC & Peacock.