File it as just the latest reason we love Taylor Knibb – her brilliant reaction to what was a brutal day in the Olympic Games cycling time trial at Paris 2024.
The 26-year-old US triathlon phenom will be a genuine medal contender in Wednesday’s individual swim/bike/run spectacular in the French capital. But before that she was in action on two wheels only in Saturday’s 32km showdown in the French capital.
The weather did not exactly play ball, delivering up horrible conditions as rain made the terrain extremely wet and slippery.
The result was a very difficult afternoon for Knibb, who would crash at least three times and endure mechanical misery as well, en route to a 19th-place finish in a field of 34.
Despite the mental and physical pain she might have endured, Taylor was her trademark upbeat self when she spoke with media in the immediate aftermath.
Knibb on Paris cycling debut
She told Cycling Weekly: “It was an experience. The first third was great. The middle one, that’s where it all went wrong. And then the third one it was more survival than anything else. I was fully blind, my Garmin fell off on the first one. I’m like, ‘Well, here we go!'”
Knibb went through her crashes in detail, explaining: “Number one, I went around the roundabout, I got up, went into the motorbike immediately. Is that one or two [crashes]? I went around on a turn, then I think I came down a fourth time, I guess, and then I changed my bike.”
“On the first one, my left brake was gone, back brake wasn’t really working. So whenever I’d go into a turn, it would kind of fishtail. Then at that point, I was like, ‘This isn’t safe for me to ride.’ I was scared to stop, but you have to slow down, I guess.”
In the aftermath of her day of pain, Knibb also spoke about the pre-race advice she received from her coach. Advice which had turned out to be sage wisdom.
“He said, ‘Taylor, you do not want to try and go around the corner too fast and end up falling down, because that will make you go slower, obviously.’ So I didn’t really heed his advice super, super well. But you get up and you keep going.”
Next up the biggest test
Now there are four days for the US star to heal her wounds (she joked that her bloodied knees would test the Seine’s notorious water quality) ahead of her biggest date with destiny on Wednesday morning.
Before that though she did have one parting thought after her Olympic Games cycling debut, one which yet again showcased her sense of humour, and ability to remain positive.
“Regardless of what happened today, hopefully I’ll continue the sport [of road cycling]. But who knows, I might not be allowed back.”
Laura Siddall: 10 things I’ve learned from my professional triathlon career
