Taylor Knibb has resigned from her spot in the cycling Road Race at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The American triathlon phenom earned a place in both the Road Race and the Time Trial in France by winning the US Cycling Time Trial National Championships in May. She had already qualified for the triathlon courtesy of a terrific performance in last August’s Test Event.
However Knibb will concentrate only on the Time Trial and the triathlon, giving up her place in the Road Race. That place will now go to US Road Race National Champion Kristen Faulkner.
Expected move by Knibb
The move from Knibb is an expected one, with her coach Dan Lorang recently explaining why she would be doing the Time Trial in Paris, and not the Road Race.
He told TRI247: “You have to really separate time trial and road race cycling.
“The time trial is about pure performance, about aerodynamics, it’s about riding your time trial bike.
“And for sure, there’s a higher chance to also be competitive there compared to road racing.
“In theory, Taylor would also be qualified for the road race but we said no, we will not do this because we have never done a road race.
“It’s for her own safety and also the safety of the others as it is a completely a different thing.
“So you can push the power, have the VO2 level and so on but that doesn’t mean you can manage it.
“It’s not just about producing the power in the peloton but also about trying to save energy and deal with all the external factors you can get in a bike road race.
“That’s why this transition is not so easy and a lot of time it’s underestimated.”
When is the Olympic cycling Time Trial
The cycling Time Trial will be Knibb’s first bid for glory at Paris 2024, taking place on Saturday July 27.
Then, just four days later, she will bid for triathlon glory on an iconic course around the French capital.
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