Former triathlete earns World cycling gold

Kristin Armstrong, a former pro triathlete who switched to cycling due to osteoarthritis in her hips, secured her place as perhaps the greatest US women’s cyclist ever with a gold medal Wednesday in the time trial at the world championship of cycling in Mendrisio Switzerland.

Armstrong, 36, of Boise Idaho, led wire to wire through the 16.54 mile course to finish in 35 minutes 26.09 seconds to defeat runner-up Noemi Cantele of Italy by 55 seconds and top third place finisher Linda Melanie Villumsen of Denmark by 58.25 seconds. Multiple Ironman winner and multiple Olympic and World Championship cycling medalist Karin Thurig of Switzerland was 9th, 1:38 behind, and the indomitable Jeanne Longo-Ciprelli of France, at 50 years of age, finished 10th, 1:48 behind.

Armstrong, who finished Ironman Hawaii in 1999 in a time of 10:47:45 and who competed in the 2000 US Olympic Women’s Triathlon Trials, was told by doctors to stop running due to osteoarthritis in her hips in 2001-2. Doctors suggested that the sport of cycling, which offered athletic challenge without the pounding of running, would be good therapy.

Since then, Armstrong finished 8th and top American at the 2004 Olympic Games road race, won gold at the 2006 Pan Am Games, the 2006 Time Trial World Championship, won the Tour of Holland, was overall winner at the 2008 Tour of New Zealand, won gold at the 2008 Olympic time trial, and took another gold in the 2009 Time Trial World Championship.

Armstrong also scored a bronze at the 2005 World Championships, won the 2006 US National Road race title and US National Time Trial golds in 2006 and 2007 and won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships.

Armstrong said she would retire after the world championship road race on Saturday. “Being female, it’s important for me to have a family,” she told the New York Times. She and husband Joe Savola announced her retirement two weeks prior to the World Championships. Armstrong said that she has already heard rumors of a comeback for the 2012 Olympics, which would be in the Armstrong tradition. But Kristin Armstrong, no relation to the Texan who won seven Tours de France, out performed that other cycling Armstrong at the Olympics, one gold in 2008 to his one bronze in 2000.