Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong comes out of retirement for second time
At the 2010 University of Idaho Commencement Ceremony, alumna Kristin Armstrong challenged graduates to live a “get to life,” rather than a “have to life.”
“Never give up on your dreams,” Armstrong said to the 2010 graduates. “Always keep the things you’re passionate about in your life. View life as an adventure and never as a struggle.”
Now, as Armstrong prepares to come out of retirement for the second time, it seems she’s taking her own advice.
Armstrong, 41, announced April 14 via Facebook her plans to return to cycling after she retired in 2012 following the Summer Olympics in London, where she took home the gold medal in the individual time trial.
In her post, Armstrong cited the rising popularity of women’s cycling as part of the reason she’s returning.
“I have been thrilled to see the recent growth of women’s races not only in the United States, but all over the world,” Armstrong wrote. “It is fantastic that top-level races are giving an opportunity for women to showcase their abilities and talent and the current momentum in the sport is undeniable. This is why I have decided to come out of retirement and return to professional racing with the hope that my involvement in the competitive side of the sport will assist our development even more.”
Armstrong originally planned for her return to cycling to begin in Mexico at the Pan American Continental Time Trial Championships — an event she won in 2005. Unfortunately, due to confusion and a rule change regarding the selection criteria for the U.S. Pan Am Championships team, it appears Armstrong’s return will be delayed.
In a note to her fans, Armstrong said no matter what happens — even if she’s left off the roster — she will fully support USA Cycling’s decision as well as the athletes representing the U.S. in Mexico.
“I know that nothing is a given in this sport,” Armstrong wrote. “Success takes significant hard work and preparation. When I made the decision to return, I committed myself to this regimen and I don’t want anything given to me. Like always, I want to earn it on the road.”
Armstrong, a 1995 UI graduate, competed on the Idaho track team for one year. A life-long athlete though, she told the 2010 graduates she wasn’t ready to stop competing. Armstrong took up cycling and won a series of events and took home her first Olympic gold medal in 2008 at the Summer Olympics in Beijing. She then retired for the first time in 2010 to have her son, Lucas, and recover from a collarbone injury.
During her retirement from competitive cycling, Armstrong worked at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Boise as an Ambassador of Community Health and has been the coach and part-owner of Team Twenty 16, a nonprofit cycling program focused on training junior and professional cyclists for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
It’s unclear when Armstrong will make her first cycling appearance since her 2012 retirement, but one thing is clear, it’s going to be hard to stop her.
“I can’t wait to pin on a number and prove it on the road,” Armstrong wrote on her blog.
Kaitlyn Krasselt can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kaitlynkrasselt