Kristen Faulkner

A Harvard graduate and former venture capitalist, Kristen Faulkner is a rider who came late to cycling, but has been on a steep upward trajectory since her racing career began. She's been through a few teams - and a few wins - during her career so far, but has landed at EF Education-Cannondale for 2024, where she will be one of the key riders on the new squad.

Faulkner only started racing in Europe in 2020 after securing a spot on the TIBCO-SVB team, and had success almost immediately, winning a stage of the tough Tour de l’Ardèche in 2020, and another at the Ladies Tour of Norway in 2021.

The Alaskan doesn't really fit into one 'type' of rider, as her talents are so varied. She’s won time trials, mountainous days and sprints from small groups, meaning she suits a lot of different types of races and scenarios. She’s a rider who likes to race from the front and is often attacking or going solo when the terrain gets tough.

She made headlines at the start of 2023 when she went on a long solo effort to claim third at Strade Bianche, but had her result stripped as she had worn a continuous glucose monitor during the race, which is against UCI rules. Her summer was then disrupted by injury after being hit by a car in training, but she is working back towards full strength and fitness for 2024, where EF Education-Cannondale will look to her to lead in some of the calendar's most important races.