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Knibb pulls out of road race at Olympics, but is still in for TT in Paris

Despite also winning Canadian national TT championship, Paula Findlay isn't heading to the Games in Paris

Photo by: Kevin Mackinnon

After winning the US National Time Trial Championship in May, Taylor Knibb earned herself an automatic selection to the US cycling team for the Olympic Games in Paris. That selection was for both the time trial and road race, but Knibb made it pretty clear in interviews that the road race probably wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

The time trial did, though.

”When I first talked to Dan (Lorang, her coach), I asked him ‘what do you think of this?’” she said. “He said they (triathlon and time trial) use very similar energy systems and ‘they would complement each other well.’ When you look at the dates relative to the competition spread (time trial on July 27, triathlon on July 31), it’s going to be the reverse of what it was in Charleston (the site of the national time trial championships). I raced better in Charleston than I raced in Yokohama … so it’s setting up for a better race on the 31st by hopefully doing that effort on the 27th. And, what an opportunity.”

Taylor Knibb has “a very good plan” and she’s sticking to it

The problem with the road race, though, is it is the day before the triathlon mixed relay, an event Knibb earned a silver medal in Tokyo. (There’s also the fact that, while she’s very comfortable riding in a pack thanks to her extensive draft-legal race experience, Knibb doesn’t have much cycling road race experience.)

Which is why it wasn’t too much of a surprise to learn yesterday that Knibb would be replaced for the road race by Kristen Faulkner. Faulkner will also join the other member of the US Road team – Chloe Digert – on the American team pursuit squad on the track.

Different process for Canada

Canadian Paula Findlay (pictured above) won her third straight national time trial championship last month, but unlike for the Americans, that wasn’t an automatic qualifier for the Olympics. We asked Findlay about the Olympics during her impressive weekend double that included the national time trial win and the win at Ironman 70.3 Mont-Tremblant.

Paula Findlay takes PTO Athlete of the Month thanks to historic cycling/ tri weekend double

“Every country obviously has their own criteria, and I think Taylor Knibb is a medal hopeful for the TT for the USA,” Findlay said. “I don’t think I’m quite at that level, but the criteria for Canada was they’re going to focus a little more on the road team. It was loosely in the back of my mind to give it a go, but I would have had to really commit to racing on the road.”

Canada has chosen Olivia Baril and Alison Jackson to compete in the road race in Paris, and one of those two will compete in the time trial.

Findlay is an Olympian – she competed in the triathlon at the 2012 Games in London – and won’t have any issues staying busy during the Olympics this year. She is getting married to fellow That Triathlon Life creator Eric Lagerstrom in August.