Eight years ago she didn't know how to clip into a bike — now she's an Olympic cyclist

U.S. Olympian Kristen Faulkner didn’t seriously start riding a bike until 2017 when she needed an outdoor hobby.

U.S. Olympian Kristen Faulkner didn’t seriously start riding a bike until 2017 when she needed an outdoor hobby. Shortly after she moved to New York City for a venture capital job, she developed a passion for cycling in her spare time.

“It was kind of my outlet every day to get into Central Park and ride for two hours away from the bustle of the city,” Faulkner told NBC News.

But it didn’t come without some initial growing pains.

“I couldn’t clip in” to the bike, she said. “And I was like, 'Why is this not working?' I was starting to get really embarrassed. Finally, we realized I just had incompatible cleats and pedals.”

Kristen Faulkner crosses the finish line during the first Tour de France Femmes in Épernay, France, in July 2022. Tim de Waele / Getty Images fileSoon her passion for cycling evolved into more than just a hobby as she gradually worked her way through the local racing scene to her first professional race in 2020. After just four stages in that event, she won.

https://www.nbcnews.com/sports/olympics/kristen-faulkner-olympics-cyclist-rcna159823

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