There is a big secret about Chloé Dygert: she doesn’t like bikes. The rumour has it that the reigning time trial world champion became a professional cyclist only because of a family bribe – and that she has no interest in the sport or its history. “That’s true! That’s absolutely true,” the American surprises me, verifying what I had assumed was a myth. “I don’t like to train, but I do like to win,” she elaborates. “I do have bad days and I do struggle when I don’t want to ride a bike, but I have been very blessed with the drive, motivation, structure and discipline to be able to do so. And when I do have a good day, it’s all worth it. I love winning, and I love what comes after that because ‘next’ is always a bigger and better thing.” 

Nothing is bigger or better than an Olympic gold medal, and the 27-year-old cyclist who doesn’t really like cycling, could feasibly pick up two of them. Going into the Olympic Games, she was a favourite for three, but took bronze in the time trial after a heavy crash on the Paris cobbles.

“I’m going to do everything I can to get those gold medals and if it doesn’t happen, well…” she pauses. “Well, that’s an interesting question because I’ve not thought about what happens if I don’t,” she said, speaking to Cycling Weekly ahead of the start of the 2024 Games. 

Stubbornness and indestructible self-belief bolster Dygert’s prodigious talent; she has everything it takes to dominate the sport on the road as she has the track for the past decade. Her reputation, however, is far from unblemished, and is often preceded by her controversial views. A complex and mysterious individual who has made multiple against-the-odds comebacks and who has 12 junior and senior World Championships to her name, Chloé Dygert is one of a kind. “This is God’s plan,” she says of her roadmap to Olympic immortality. “If it’s God’s will, there will be a way.” These days, in a sport that is largely secular, mostly European, Dygert’s religious devotion sets her further apart from the pack.

This article was published in Cycling Weekly in August 2024. The full article can be read here.