It was a rough day for the reigning Olympic road champion. Kristen Faulkner crossed the finish line of Stage 2 of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift with just 20 seconds to spare, the very last rider to do so.
The EF Education-Oatly rider had been tipped as one to watch this Tour, particularly in the early stages. Coming off a career-best season in 2024, where she stormed to a convincing Olympic road race title, Faulkner excels in punchy one-day terrain and aggressive breakaways, exactly the kind of racing featured in the Tour’s opening stages. But her easily recognisable stars-and-stripes jersey, indicating her as the U.S. national champion, was nowhere to be seen near the front today.
As it turns out, Faulkner was caught in a crash early on and spent the remainder of the stage fighting a desperate battle against the time cut.
“Some rider hit a curb, flew into me from behind, and catapulted me into the bushes...I then spent the whole day chasing back,” Faulkner explained.
She is far from alone in her misfortune. Like Marlen Reusser (Movistar) and Lotte Kopecky (SD Worx), Faulkner’s Tour has so far been plagued by illness, crashes and plain bad luck.
“I prepared for this Tour so well; two weeks ago I finally felt as fit as last season. But then I got sick and for 10 days before the start I could barely get off the couch,” she revealed.
“I started to turn a corner before stage 1 and feel better every day. But so far, I’ve been fighting every day to stay in the race as long as I can. Today’s crash almost put me over my limit."
Adding to the pressure, Faulkner acknowledges, is the spotlight that comes with Olympic gold, and the vulnerability of being seen struggling on the sport’s biggest stage.
“One thing about being in the spotlight, when you have a bad day, everyone sees it. It’s hard to show up when you feel terrible, let alone on international TV,” she said.
“I am here with a full heart and am doing what I can to support my teammates, even when the legs are finding their way back. Thank you for riding with me, even when the watt bombs aren’t dropping.”
As the peloton departs Brittany, the race may finally offer Faulkner and others a reprieve. Stage 3 from La Gacilly to Angers is one of the few chances in this year’s route tailored to the sprinters, with relatively gentle rolling roads and fewer technical challenges, a welcome shift after two punishing days.
