The Race of Truth: Kristin Armstrong’s Olympic Cycling Triumph Outside the Rio Spotlight

Outside the Rio Spotlight, #4

At 43 years old, Kristin Armstrong might have had no business competing in a cycling time trial against the young international talent that surrounded her at the Rio Olympics. As she competed to become the oldest cyclist to win and to make it a record third gold medal, she faced many challenges: a history of injury; a wealth of demands on her non-cycling life; the grueling road race just three days earlier; and a juggernaut of outstanding riders from the Netherlands.  This story of her race for a historic gold, told in the style of 16 Days of Glory, lays out the competition for the time trial, a race which provides no pack for shelter and no teammates to draft behind. Just pure cycling, mile after mile.