Looking back on the Rio Olympics

  
  


The Rio Olympic Games had a little bit of everything for U.S. cyclists. The 16 days were full of glory, heartbreak, and inspiration for Team USA and its fans. In the end, Team USA cyclists rode off with five medals – a tie for the most U.S. cycling medals ever in a non-boycotted Games.

We want to thank our amazing athletes for inspiring us and our incredible fans, partners, and supporters as we could never have achieved this success without your support!  Here’s a recap of the five medals we’re celebrating!
 
  • Team USA got its first medal when Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho) went down in history as the first cyclist to win three Olympic gold medals in a single discipline with a gold in the women’s road time trial.

  • When the focus turned to track cycling, the USA impressed again this time with a silver medal in the women’s team pursuit. Years of hard work and training paid off for Kelly Catlin (Arden Hills, Minn.), Chloe Dygert (Brownsburg, Ind.), Sarah Hammer (Colorado Springs, Colo.), and Jennifer Valente (San Diego, Calif.) when they clocked a time of 4:12.454 in the gold medal final against Great Britain (this, after breaking a world record in the semifinals). 

  • Even after the team pursuit success, Hammer wasn’t done yet. The three-time Olympian repeated her success from the 2012 Games and rode off with the silver medal in the women’s omnium after winning the battle for second against Belgian Jolien D’Hoore in a close points race.

  • After track, the focus turned to the ever-exciting discipline of BMX where the USA earned two medals – a gold and a silver. Alise Post (Chula Vista, Calif.) chased down defending gold medalist Mariana Pajon (COL) to finish for the silver – the USA’s fourth cycling medal of the Olympics. Then right after Post’s performance, Connor Fields (Henderson, Nev.) rode to glory and claimed gold after he and compatriot Nic Long (Lakeside, Calif.) took control of the race right out of the gate.


All of our Olympians inspired us to give it our all, bad luck or not, and race all the way to the line.
 
  • One of the most talked about moments in Rio came compliments of Team USA’s Mara Abbott (Boulder, Colo.) and her desperate bid to win the women’s road race. She held the lead until 150 meters from the finish when she was caught by a chase group of three and finished in a heart-breaking fourth. Medal or no medal, Mara earned champion status.  Her achievement wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of her teammates in the road race, Kristin Armstrong (Boise, Idaho), Evelyn Stevens (San Francisco, Calif.), and Megan Guarnier (Queensbury, NY).

  • Brent Bookwalter (Asheville, NC) left it all on the course and outsprinted a group of five to place 16th in the men’s road race. Then in the time trial, Bookwalter again gutted it out despite an early crash to finish 23rd while teammate Taylor Phinney (Boulder, Colo.) was 22nd.

  • In addition to our women, Bobby Lea (Mertztown, Pa.) was 17th in the men’s omnium on the track, while Matt Baranoski (Perkasie, Pa.) put forth a hard fought effort in the men’s keirin and Ruth Winder (Lafayette, Calif./UnitedHealthcare) stood prepared in Rio as an alternate on the women's team pursuit squad.

  • While their teammates earned medals, Brooke Crain (Visalia, Calif.) and Nic Long (Lakeside, Calif.) raced valiantly and placed fourth in the women’s and men’s BMX competitions. Corben Sharrah (Tucson, Ariz.) also competed on the BMX course for the USA on Friday but was eliminated from contention during the semifinals.

  • On a technical mountain bike course on the penultimate day of the Games, Lea Davison (Jericho, Vt.) fought her way to seventh place in the women’s event while teammate Chloe Woodruff (Prescott, Ariz.) crossed the finish line in 14th after suffering a first lap mechanical that saw her chase back from last place. The next day, Howard Grotts (Durango, Colo.) gave everything on the rainy course when he kept getting knocked down, but kept getting back up to battle his way to 38th in the men’s cross-country event. Grotts was in good spirits at the end despite suffering two crashes, two flat tires, and a bent seat.

Thank you for being part of the team and for celebrating these athletes with us!  
 
Want to see more? Check out USA Cycling’s Olympic photo gallery here.
 
Want to show your pride? Click here to shop for USA Cycling casual apparel and Team USA Cycling kits, or make a donation today to help fund our athletes as they pursue their Olympic dreams in Tokyo 2020!


This Article Updated August 25, 2016 @ 06:13 PM For more information contact: