Freedman, Nicole

Sport:
cycling

Country Represented:
United States

Years Competed:
2000

Olympic Info:
Freedman was a member of the United States cycling team at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, her first major international event. She finished in 47th place in the women's road race with a time of 3:28.28.

Career Highlights:
Originally a runner, Freedman joined the Stanford track team after transferring there from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). Although she ran a 5:40 mile, Nicole realized she did not have much of a future in the sport. In 1994, her senior year, she started cycling as training for running and was hooked. When she became burned out from running, she began cycling with the Stanford team.

She said, "I had been running for nine years and was burned out. I was looking for something else. I always liked biking and those 20-mile family bike rides in the summer...I've never felt like I fulfilled my (athletic) potential. I still think, definitely, I'm getting better. Every day I wake up, I want to go for a ride. When it's no longer fun or I no longer feel like I'm improving, I'll bail out and move on." Soon after that, she began racing and won the women's division of the Race Across America (a coast to coast race).

At the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials, Freedman finished in 10th place, and did not qualify for the Olympic team. She continued to improve over the next few years, winning a race in Pennsylvania in 1996, two in 1998, and two in 1999. At the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, she was not expected to contend for first place, however, as she had only one race victory in 2000. Known for her strong sprinting ability, Nicole outsprinted five other racers to win the Trials and qualify for the Olympic Games.

Following the Sydney Games, Freedman won the U.S. National Road Race Championship and finished third at the U.S. National Championship Criterium. In 2001, Nicole captured the U.S. National Championship Criterium. In 2002, she finished in the top three in six races.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. May 21, 1972

Origin:
Newton, Massachusetts

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