Kristen Faulkner finishes as top American at Tour De France Femmes
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - Crossing the finish line in the final stage of the Tour De France Femmes, Homer’s Kristen Faulkner put a bow on what’s been a career-soaring run for the Alaska-born cyclist.
Faulkner finished well back in 62nd place in the eighth and final stage Sunday in France.
The result left Faulkner 38th in the final standings, the best American rider in the race this year.
The finish wasn’t indicative of how Faulkner rode in the week-long test of endurance; After Thursday’s fifth stage, Faulkner was sitting second in the overall standings, just 19 seconds behind eventual winner Katarzyna Niewiadoma of Poland.
Faulkner ended up 43 minutes, 36 seconds, behind Niewiadoma at the end.
Faulkner was running 53rd in the yellow jersey standings after two stages, but rolled off finishes of fifth, 11th, and fourth to push her to second in the standings.
She was sitting third overall after stage six, but stage finishes of 39th and 62nd in the final two days dropped her in the final finishing order.
The Tour closes out an impressive month of competition that saw Faulkner ascend to one of the top names in the sport. The 31-year-old former venture capitalist earned two gold medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, taking first place in both Road Race and Team Pursuit.
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