Kristin Armstrong

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Kristin Armstrong
Kristin Armstrong, London 2012 Time Trial - Aug 2012.jpg
Winning the 2012 Olympics time trial (age 38).
Personal information
Full nameKristin Armstrong
Born (1973-08-11) August 11, 1973 (age 48)
Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight128 lb (58 kg)
Team information
Current teamExergy TWENTY12
DisciplineRoad
Rider typeAll-rounder
Professional teams
2001–2005T-Mobile Women
2006–2007Team Lipton
2008–2009Cervélo–Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
2011Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12
2012Exergy TWENTY12
2015–2016Twenty16 presented by Sho-Air
Major wins
One-day races
Olympic Time Trial Champion (2008, 2012, 2016)
World Time Trial Champion (2006, 2009)
Pan American Time Trial Champion (2005)
National Road Race Champion (2004)
National Time Trial Champion (2005–2007, 2015)
Nature Valley Grand Prix (2006–2008)
USA Pro Challenge (2015)
Medal record
Representing the  United States
Women's road cycling
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Time trial
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Time trial
Gold medal – first place 2016 Rio de Janeiro Time trial
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Salzburg Time trial
Gold medal – first place 2009 Mendrisio Time trial
Silver medal – second place 2007 Stuttgart Time trial
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Madrid Time trial
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2003 Santo Domingo Time trial

Kristin Armstrong (born August 11, 1973) is a former professional road bicycle racer[1] and three-time Olympic gold medalist, the winner of the women's individual time trial in 2008, 2012, and 2016. Before temporarily retiring to start a family in 2009, she rode for Cervélo TestTeam in women's elite professional events on the National Racing Calendar (NRC) and UCI Women's World Cup. She announced a return to competitive cycling beginning in the 2011 season, competing for Peanut Butter & Co. TWENTY12 at the Redlands Classic.[2]

Background[]

Prior to her professional cycling career, Armstrong had been a junior Olympian in swimming, a distance runner in college, and then a triathlete.[3][4] She spent many hours perfecting her strokes in the pool at the Boise Family YMCA, where she also served as Director of Aquatics, managing more than 50 lifeguards, swim instructors, and others. She was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips in 2001 at age 27, and told that she could no longer run at an elite level, thus ending her triathlon career and leading her to focus exclusively on cycling.[3][5]

The three-time national champion finished 8th (top U.S. finisher) in the women's road race at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.[6]

At the 2008 Summer Olympics in China, Armstrong completed the biggest achievement of her career by winning the gold medal in the women's road time trial competition on August 13. Finishing in under 35 minutes, Armstrong was 25 seconds ahead of silver medalist Emma Pooley from Great Britain, with Karin Thürig from Switzerland taking the bronze.[7]

Of Armstrong, Velonews wrote: "Kristin Armstrong is famous for both her success in bicycle racing, and the 'type-A' attention to detail that keeps her climbing the podium at critical races every season."[8]

Armstrong announced at the end of 2010 that she would return to competitive cycling, with the goal of competing at the London 2012 Summer Olympics. In a written statement, she stated that her retirement was merely temporary in order to start a family:

I love cycling and I love competing. I stopped racing after the 2009 World Championships not because I was burned out, but because my husband and I wanted to start a family...I told myself from the beginning if everything went smoothly with the birth of our son, Lucas William, I would consider racing again.[9]

In 2011, Armstrong returned to compete with the Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12, of which she was a part owner. She won three of the four stages (criterium, road race, and time trial) and the overall title during the Sea Otter Classic in April.[3] However, during the first stage of the Tour of the Gila, which she had won twice previously, Armstrong came down with food poisoning.[10] She ended up withdrawing from the race and returning home to recover.[11]

Armstrong successfully defended her Olympic title in the individual time trial at the 2012 Olympics in London and became the oldest rider to win an Olympic time trial, and finished 35th in the Women's road race.[12] She announced her retirement after the 2012 Olympics.[13]

In September 2012, Armstrong's Olympic gold medal-winning time trial bike was stolen while in transit between Germany and the USA.[14]

In April 2015, Armstrong announced that she would be coming out of retirement to race at the 2015 Pan American Road Championships in Leon, Mexico, having been selected by USA Cycling for the individual time trial.[15] Two days after announcing Armstrong's selection, however, the USA Cycling Selection Committee reconvened, deciding that the new selection process under which Armstrong had been chosen had not been published in a timely manner, and that as a result the federation's older Principles of Athlete Selection, which had been issued in 2008, should be used instead for selection to the Pan American Championships. The upshot was that Armstrong's place was taken by Tayler Wiles.[16] The following month, Armstrong won the United States National Time Trial Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee, beating Carmen Small by 13 seconds.[17]

In August 2016, Armstrong made history at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro after coming out of retirement to win the gold medal in the women's individual time trial and becoming the first rider ever to win three gold medals in the same discipline. She also became the oldest female cyclist to win an Olympic medal.[18]

In September 2017 Armstrong joined USA Cycling as Endurance Performance Director.[1]

In December 2019 Armstrong created and launched her bike computer mount line of products called KX3 Sports.

Personal life[]

Armstrong in June 2009 (age 35).

Armstrong's father was an officer in the US Marines.[19] Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she lived in Tennessee and California and attended high school in Havelock, North Carolina, and abroad in Okinawa, Japan, where she graduated from Kubasaki High School in 1991.[20][21] She enrolled at the University of Idaho in Moscow, where she ran track for the Vandals for a season as a walk-on and was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.[4][22] Armstrong earned a bachelor's degree from UI in sports physiology in 1995, and currently lives in Boise, Idaho.[4][23]

She is often confused with the ex-wife of fellow cyclist Lance Armstrong, whose name is also Kristin. Kristin Armstrong the cyclist and Lance Armstrong are not related.[24]

Armstrong is married to Joe Savola; their son Lucas William Savola was born on September 15, 2010.[3] Four months before his birth, she gave the commencement address at her alma mater in May 2010.[25]

Palmarès[]

2002 – USA National-T Mobile
15th overall – HP Women's Challenge
2003 – T-Mobile Professional Women's Team
3rd (Bronze) – Women's Time Trial, Pan American Games
5th – Geelong World Cup
13th – World Time Trial Championships
2004 – T-Mobile Professional Women's Team
MaillotUSA.PNG USA National Women's Road Race Champion
8th – Women's Road Race, 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens
1st, Stage 3, Redlands Bicycle Classic
1st, Prologue, Sea Otter Classic, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
2nd, General Classification, Sea Otter Classic
2005 – T-Mobile Professional Women's Team
3rd (Bronze) – UCI Road World Championships Time Trial
1st, Pan American Continental Women's Time Trial
MaillotUSA.PNG USA National Women's Time Trial Champion
3rd, National Championship, Track, Pursuit
1st overall and 2 stages (Prologue and Stage 2) win – Sea Otter Classic
2nd (Silver) – Women's 3km Individual Pursuit, Pan American Championships
3rd overall – Tour de l'Aude Cycliste Féminin
3rd, Stage 1 – Thüringen-Rundfahrt der Frauen
1st, General Classification, Valley of the Sun Stage Race, 1st Stage 1
2nd, General Classification, San Dimas Stage Race
1st, Stage 1
1st, Stage 1, Tour de Toona
2nd, General Classification, Tour de l'Ardèche
2006 – Team Lipton
1st (Gold) – UCI Road World Championship Women's Time Trial
MaillotUSA.PNG USA National Championship Women's Time Trial
MaillotUSA.PNG USA National Championship Women's Road Race
1st overall – Nature Valley Grand Prix
1st, Stage 1 – Saint Paul Waterfront Time Trial
1st, Stage 4 – Mankato Road Race
Cascade Cycling Classic
1st, Stage 2 – Cascade Lakes Road Race
1st, Stage 3 – Arnold Market Time Trial
3rd overall – La Coupe du Monde Cycliste Féminine de Montréal
1st, General Classification, Tour de Toona, Altoona
1st, Stage 3
3rd, World Cup, Track, Pursuit, Sydney
1st overall Tour of the Gila, Mogollon
1st Stage 2
1st, General Classification, Euregio Ladies Tour, Leende, 1st Stage 1
2007 – Team Lipton
MaillotUSA.PNG USA National Championship Women's Time Trial
2nd, National Championship Women's Road Race
1st overall and 3 stage wins – Nature Valley Grand Prix
1st overall, mountains and 1 stage win (ITT) – Holland Ladies Tour
2nd (Silver) – UCI Road World Championships Time Trial
1st, Souvenir Magali Pache
1st, General Classification, Tour de Toona
1st, Stage 6
2008 – Cervélo Lifeforce Pro Cycling Team
1st, General Classification, NZCT Women's Tour of New Zealand
3rd, World Cup, Track, Team Pursuit, Los Angeles
1st overall and 4 stage wins – Nature Valley Grand Prix
1st overall and 3 stage wins – Cascade Cycling Classic
1st – Boise Twilight Criterium
 Gold, Time Trial; Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics
2009 – Cervélo TestTeam 2009 season
1st (Gold) – UCI Road World Championship Women's Time Trial
1st, General Classification and 3 stage wins – Tour of the Gila
2011 – Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12
1st overall and 3 stage wins – Sea Otter Classic
1st, Women's Time Trial – Tour of California
2012 – Peanut Butter & Co. Team TWENTY12
 Gold, Time Trial; London 2012 Summer Olympics
2015 Announced return to the sport.
MaillotUSA.PNG 1st, United States National Time Trial Championships
1st Overall Women's USA Pro Challenge
1st, Stage 1 (ITT)
2nd Overall Cascade Cycling Classic[26]
3rd Tour of California Women's Time Trial[27]
1st, Stage 3 (ITT) Redlands Bicycle Classics
2016
 Gold, Time Trial; Rio 2016 Summer Olympics
2nd Overall Tour of California
3rd United States National Time Trial Championships

References[]

  1. ^ a b Case, Chris (19 December 2017). "Q&A: Kristin Armstrong helps Team USA toward gold in Tokyo 2020". VeloNews. Retrieved 3 March 2018.
  2. ^ Zellmann, Michael (April 27, 2011). "A day in images with Kristin Armstrong – champion, mentor, mom". The Road Diaries. Archived from the original on 2012-07-23. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Bloomquist, Bret (April 4, 2011). "Tour of the Gila: Armstrong's comeback includes family time". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "After the gold: Kristin Armstrong's life before". University of Idaho College of Education, Envision. Winter 2009. p. 3. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  5. ^ "Retired Kristin Armstrong ponders future on and off the bike". USA Today. Associated Press. October 30, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  6. ^ "Kristin Armstrong Savola - USA Cycling". USAcycling.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  7. ^ "Beijing 2008 individual time trial women - Olympic Beijing 2008 Cycling Road". olympic.org. Archived from the original on 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2020-01-21.
  8. ^ Vestal, Zack (April 14, 2009). "Born for Beijing, the K-Edge chain catcher goes into production". Velonews. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  9. ^ "Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong will race again". KTVB. October 22, 2010. Archived from the original on March 15, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  10. ^ Steve Frothingham (April 27, 2011). "Abbott, Mancebo, take mountain-top wins at SRAM Tour of the Gila". VeloNews. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  11. ^ "Taylor Wiles takes third place at Giro". DailyPeloton.com. April 29, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  12. ^ "Armstrong becomes oldest rider to win time trial". NBC Olympics. August 1, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  13. ^ "Armstrong goes out on top with Olympic gold". CyclingNews. August 1, 2012.
  14. ^ "Cycling: Gold medalist's bikes stolen". New Zealand Herald. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
  15. ^ Frattini, Kirsten (17 April 2015). "Women's news shorts: Armstrong comes out of retirement for Pan Am Championships". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  16. ^ "USA Cycling replaces Armstrong with Wiles for 2015 Pan Am Championships". cyclingnews.com. 18 April 2015. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Kristin Armsthong wins women's US pro time trial". cyclingnews.com. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  18. ^ "Out of retirement and into gold, 42-year-old American Kristin Armstrong just made Olympic history". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-05-31.
  19. ^ "Military Olympians: World class performance in London 2012". Veterans Advantage. August 14, 2012. Archived from the original on 2014-09-03. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  20. ^ Wilson, Drew C. (August 2, 2012). "Former Havelock resident wins Olympic gold medal". Havelock News. Retrieved August 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  21. ^ "Team USA media guide, Kristin Armstrong". U.S. Olympic Committee. 2012. Archived from the original on February 27, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  22. ^ "Gamma". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1993. p. 161. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  23. ^ "Profile: Kristin Armstrong". USA Cycling. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  24. ^ Bloomquist, Bret (April 24, 2011). "Cycling: Tour of Gila still attracts top teams". El Paso Times. Archived from the original on January 22, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2011.
  25. ^ "Olympian Armstrong urges Idaho grads to embrace a "get to" attitude". KLEW TV/UI News. UI News. May 16, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  26. ^ "Smith, Dvorak win Cascade overall titles". cyclingnews.com. 25 September 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
  27. ^ Burns, Ted (16 May 2015). "Stevens wins Tour of California time trial". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.

External links[]

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