“I’m just happy,” Kristen said about racing with EF Education-Oatly. “I want to be on a team where I’m happy and having fun and enjoying myself because that’s when I perform my best. I've had some of my best seasons here and I attribute a lot of that to the support I got from the team. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my performance is so strong on this team. I think it's the result of a professional program and me being really happy on the team.”

Kristen cites the strength of her relationships with team management as a driving factor in her decision to remain with the team.

“The staff and management are incredible,” she said. “They’re mentors and people I look up to, like our head sport director Carmen Small and our general manager Esra Tromp. They really watch out for the riders, not just as riders but as people. It doesn't feel transactional. I feel like they care about me as a person. That’s not always true in elite sports, not just cycling, but everywhere.”

Her teammates play a vital role in her happiness both on and off the bike.

“I have a lot of fun with my teammates. I think they’re really good riders but also they’re really good people. I think we have a great dynamic and a healthy culture. These riders are my friends, they’re not just my teammates. That definitely comes through when I’m racing as well,” Kristen said.

The American champion credits much of her growth and development to the team and its culture.

“The team was really supportive of me doing track and that helped my top end power, something I had really struggled with before,” Kristen said. “I didn’t feel that I had the freedom to focus on that before and so in letting me do track, the team has helped me become a more well-rounded rider. I won in a sprint at US nationals and that's because the team helped me work on that even though I’ve never been a sprinter before. The team has also encouraged me to go to the gym and do gym work. I think that also really helped my sprint power. Another thing is having teammates who are excellent at positioning. My positioning in the peloton has gotten much stronger these last two years and I credit that to riding with teammates who are really good and supportive and being in an environment where you just want to help each other.”

EF Education-Oatly general manager Esra Tromp appreciates that Kristen is not just an accomplished cyclist who can get results, but she also encourages everyone on the squad to grow.

“Kristen is a great example of someone who thinks outside the box, which challenges both me and the team to always do better,” Esra said. “I look forward to working with Kristen for an additional three seasons because she pushes all of us – staff and riders alike – to take our work to the next level. Together, we will continue to bring out the best in each other. I value Kristen as a teammate, a leader, and an individual. Kristen has already given us some big highs, but I feel this is only the beginning.”

Despite already having an impressive palmarès, Kristen is highly motivated to continue progressing as an athlete. She has a long list of goals she’d like to tackle over the next few years and is excited to achieve them with EF Education-Oatly.

“I want to be more unpredictable. The team has really helped me with that. I think I’ve always been good at attacking solo and that’s always been what’s gotten me my wins up until now but I want to become a better climber and I want to become a better sprinter. I want to be more of a GC rider. I want to win a stage at the Tour de France. I would like to get on the podium at the world championships in the time trial. I would like to win a GC race at some point in my career. I’d like to win a big one-day race like Milano-Sanremo or Strade Bianche. I want to make the LA Olympics in 2028. I’d like to go for the road race, the time trial, and the team pursuit there,” Kristen said.

For Kristen, the decision was simple. To continue her successful racing career, she needs a team that is fun and supportive on and off the bike.

“There’s no team I’d rather ride for,” she said. “I signed with this team because as I looked around, I realized there’s no team that I’d be happier on. I’d be happy to be on this team until I retire.”