Kristen Faulkner, double・stage winner of the Giro d'Italia, will race for the US team EF Education Cannondale in 2024. Faulkner joined the team with two goals for next season: to compete at the Olympics in Paris and to grow as a general classification leader.

"I want to build an Olympic team for the time trial, and I want to be more GC riders. I will probably go for the results of the race in the time trial. Depending on the race, you can support your team or become a GC rider. I think of myself as someone who can play a lot of different roles," Faulkner said in the team's press release.

"I don't even have 1 thing I'm good at – I'm not a pure climber, not a pure sprinter – and it gives me a chance to use it to our advantage, using me to make the race unpredictable, in a very unpredictable way, although a team that tries different things can win the race." But at the end of the day, I just want to win on this team."

The 30-year-old North American, who is currently on the Jayco-AIUla team, is a well-known all-rounder with top wins in the 2022 Giro d'Italia Don Prologue and up to Mountain Stage 9 and overall mountain classification in the same race. Faulkner also won a time trial at the 2022 Tour de Switzerland and narrowly missed the bunch on the opening stage of the 2021 Tour of Norway.

"One of her best assets is that she is not afraid to race aggressively," said Esratromp, the team's general manager.1 "We've seen Peloton riders find their limits and are afraid to try something different. It's really refreshing that Kristen has no fear of that, and she has the courage to try new tactics and try new races. It says a lot about her.

Faulkner turned professional in the TIBCO-SVB team in 2020 and claimed victory at the summit of the remarkable Solo mountain ahead of teammate Lauren Stephen Tour Cycliste Féminin de l'Ardeche. That team became EF Education-TIBCO-SVB in 2022 and 2023, but it is expected to collapse at the end of this season.

The new women's team, EF Education-Cannondale, will be launched with a Continental license in 2024.

"The first reason I wanted to sign with the team was that I really wanted to go back to the American team. Being an American on an American team is important to me. The second reason is that I really agree with the values of the sponsors, especially that EF Education First is an education company. Education is something I deeply value. I've raced in Cannondale before and I love how they ride, so there's a feeling of going home. The final reason is a series of conversations I've had with management. They spoke to me as a person, not just a number, and it was important for me to get into the team. I already know some riders, and I'm excited to race with them," Faulkner said. "I've never been so excited about the team before. And I like it. It's very real, as I'm really excited by nature. And it makes me really happy because it feels like it means I'm on the right team.

Faulkner spent the last 2022 and 2023 season Jayco-AlUla.2 After a successful first season with the Australian team, this year was more challenging for North America after she was disqualified from Strade Bianche for first wearing a glucose monitor, causing a crash and injuring her on May 6.

The Glucose Monitor incident deprived the podium finish in the prestigious Italian classic, the UCI confirmed that the rider was disqualified, and due to the result "Ibesecilia Uttrup Ludwig (FDJ-Suez) was named third place instead."

"My intention was not to violate any rules or gain an unfair advantage," Faulkner said in response to the qualification, but also while on her arms "I am proud of how I raced Strade Bianche and am very disappointed with the UCI's decision.""

This summer, Faulkner was attacked by a driver during training in California and was unable to race while his injuries healed. She suffered a small fracture to her knee and could not ride the Tour de France Femme, which she participated in in 2023, and in 2022 she was in 40th place. She returned to competition in the Tour de Romandie Feminine and ranked 39th.

"When I got back to the race, I felt like I had a good break, and now I'm really motivated to get into next season. I feel fresh and excited," Faulkner said. "I also realized how much I love the sport. It can be hard. People can burn out. But when I was away from cycling, I really missed it, and I realized that I'd rather have nothing to do. Despite the crash, my love for sports, my passion for sports and my motivation for sports have not changed at all. And it feels really powerful."

It is reported that a number of world team top names, including US riders Coryn Labecki and Veronica Ewers, will race for the new EF Education-Cannondale team in 2024.