When she arrived in Paris, Faulkner – a Phillips Academy and Harvard graduate known for her meticulous preparation – ran simulations during race week to ensure she could recover in time from the road race to the team pursuit.

“I was confident I could recover well here for the team pursuit,” Faulkner said, “and that’s the only reason I took part in the road race.”

“It was really important to have made these preparations in advance,” she added.

But how would Faulkner fare on the toughest stage in the world with so little experience?

Worried that Faulkner might not rev her bike too quickly and get into the chase formation, track and field coach Gary Sutton dropped her gear ratio by two inches before the gold medal final. That allowed her to turn the cranks faster and get up to speed behind Valente, whose ability to maintain a consistent pace every lap is almost metronomic.

Dygert also had to recover from road cycling last week – both from the rigors of the time trial and from the crash. It’s just one of several serious fractures the eight-time world champion has had to recover from since she began competing in the senior ranks in 2016. The worst was a horrific crash during the 2020 world champs time trial that left her tearing up her leg. Dygert suffered severe blood loss and had to undergo multiple surgeries to repair the damage, and recovery took nine months. She made it to the start line in Tokyo (postponed a year because of the pandemic) and helped the U.S. to bronze in the team pursuit.

Since 2021, Dygert has undergone surgery for a heart condition and suffered from the Epstein-Barr virus, which caused extreme fatigue. There were moments when she considered giving up.

Dygert arrived at the velodrome outside Paris with stitches on her chin and leg. But the injuries did not slow her down. The US team pursuit qualified in second place – behind New Zealand, the silver medalists of the 2023 World Championships, but ahead of the reigning world champions Great Britain.

They then beat Great Britain in the first round and moved into the gold medal race against New Zealand.

Led by Valente at the start, the four women quickly reached world record speed.

“She’s the best starter in the world,” said Sutton, who called Valente one of the greatest track and field athletes of all time who has now won four Olympic gold medals.

Although the group fell apart in the final 1,000 meters and narrowly missed the world record, their lead over New Zealand was enough to win gold.

While many Olympians are enjoying the moment and not looking ahead, Dygert seemed most excited about the future of the U.S. women’s track cycling program.

“I’m really happy with this medal, but I’m looking forward to the next thing,” she said. “I’ll cherish this, but it doesn’t stop here. We’re going to keep going. There’s a lot more to achieve in the future.”

Faulkner – whose dream was to become an Olympian, who became an alternate on the Olympic road cycling team and whose name is now in the record books – shared Dygert’s sentiments.

“Originally my goal was to compete in the Olympics and then my goal was to bring home a medal,” she said. “Now to bring home two gold medals is a lot more than I ever expected or even dreamed of. And I think we just have to keep dreaming of bigger and bigger things and hopefully there’s more to come.”

Peggy Shinn, an award-winning freelance writer from Vermont, is in Paris covering her eighth Olympic Games. She has written for TeamUSA.org since its founding in 2008.