Three-time 70.3 World Champion Taylor Knibb underlined her prowess on two wheels once again this week with a dominant victory in the women’s time trial at the USA Cycling Professional Road National Championships in West Virginia.
Time and again in middle-distance triathlon, Knibb has all but settled races on the bike section and as well as her three successive IRONMAN 70.3 titles, she also became T100 World Champion in 2024.
That year also saw her represent her country in both triathlon and cycling at the Paris Olympics. She anchored them to a silver medal in a thrilling Mixed Relay and though she suffered multiple falls on a treacherously wet course in the cycling time trial, she spoke afterwards about how much she had enjoyed being part of the USA Cycling set up.
Knibb puts power down
When we interviwed her coach Dan Lorang earlier this year it was clear that Knibb would be looking to continue the dual focus ahead of the next Olympics which will be on home soil in Los Angeles in 2028.
And that was underlined this week in Charleston as she showcased her credentials with a superb victory on a flat course, just as she had two years earlier to book her ticket to Paris.
Knibb finished fully 45 seconds ahead of of defending champion Emily Ehrlich to earn a second Stars and Stripes jersey, averaging over 47km per hour for the 33.4km course.
Paige Onweller had set the target time of 43:51.42 and was still in top spot before the final two riders rolled down the ramp. Ehrlich was quicker in the first part of the course as she set the fastest intermediate split of 21:25.83 but Knibb went into overdrive from that point onwards to cross the line in 42:37.30, with Ehrlich 45.16 seconds adrift.
WTCS Quiberon comes too soon
“It was a great race and I was thrilled to come back here after 2024,” she said at the finish.
On the swim / bike / run front this season, Knibb started the campaign with victory in the T100 opener on the Gold Coast and followed that by winning 70.3 Oceanside before finishing second at IRONMAN Texas to book her Kona spot.
She then switched to short course as she came 11th at WTCS Alghero in what was the first event in the qualifying cycle for LA2028, though her exploits in Virginia means she misses WTCS Quiberon in France this weekend where the US will be represented by 2016 Olympic champ Gwen Jorgensen as well as Danielle Orie and Gina Sereno.
