Bethany (Matsick) Ingram (left) leads the pack for Team USA's gold medal-winning women's team pursuit on Thursday night at the Velo Sports Center in Los Angeles. (Photo by Craig Huffman)
Ingram rides to gold medal in women’s track cycling team pursuit at Pan Am Games
4/5/2024 3:04:00 PM | Cycling
Bethany (Matsick) Ingram was one of four members of Team USA that rode against Canada in Thursday night's gold medal race in Los Angeles.
Former Liberty University women's cycling team member Bethany (Matsick) Ingram ('22) is another lap closer to qualifying to represent Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris after her strong showing on the Velo Sports Center track in Los Angeles on Thursday night at the Pan American Track Cycling Championships.
Ingram, who moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., last year to train on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Velodrome, rode as part of Team USA's gold-medal winning 4-kilometer women's team pursuit final team, which pulled away from the silver medalists from Team Canada.
The U.S. team completed the pursuit in 4 minutes, 23.058 seconds, more than four seconds faster than the Canadian team's time of 4:27.074, with the four cyclists rotating in the lead position and allowing the others to draft from behind.
Ingram and her teammates — Emily Ehrlich, Colleen Gulich, and Olivia Cummins — completed the first kilometer in 1:08.345, opening a 1.73-second lead on Team Canada, which started on the opposite side of the track. The Team USA cyclists then clocked a time of 1:03.669 for the second kilometer before finishing the third in 1:05.740 and the fourth in 1:05.303.
"Prior to this week, we had trained together a small amount bu had never raced as a team, so we were not sure how it would play out," Ingram said. "We were really happy with how it all came together and are looking forward to the next chance to race."
As the U.S. Elite Track Cycling National Champion in the individual pursuit in 2022, Ingram had her training schedule set back by complications from COVID-19 and the vaccine throughout 2023. This past year, her competition schedule was highlighted by a strong showing in Canada and other competitions in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Argentina. Her next race is a Nations Cup event on Saturday, April 13, in Milton, Canada.
"After a 2023 filled with sickness, I did not have many expectations for 2024," Ingram said. "I am nearly back to 100 percent, and it has been over a year since I last had COVID. There is still a long way to go, but I am thankful for any opportunity to race and pray that my story points to the Lord and His work in my life."
Ingram, who moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., last year to train on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) Velodrome, rode as part of Team USA's gold-medal winning 4-kilometer women's team pursuit final team, which pulled away from the silver medalists from Team Canada.
The U.S. team completed the pursuit in 4 minutes, 23.058 seconds, more than four seconds faster than the Canadian team's time of 4:27.074, with the four cyclists rotating in the lead position and allowing the others to draft from behind.
Ingram and her teammates — Emily Ehrlich, Colleen Gulich, and Olivia Cummins — completed the first kilometer in 1:08.345, opening a 1.73-second lead on Team Canada, which started on the opposite side of the track. The Team USA cyclists then clocked a time of 1:03.669 for the second kilometer before finishing the third in 1:05.740 and the fourth in 1:05.303.
"Prior to this week, we had trained together a small amount bu had never raced as a team, so we were not sure how it would play out," Ingram said. "We were really happy with how it all came together and are looking forward to the next chance to race."
As the U.S. Elite Track Cycling National Champion in the individual pursuit in 2022, Ingram had her training schedule set back by complications from COVID-19 and the vaccine throughout 2023. This past year, her competition schedule was highlighted by a strong showing in Canada and other competitions in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Argentina. Her next race is a Nations Cup event on Saturday, April 13, in Milton, Canada.
"After a 2023 filled with sickness, I did not have many expectations for 2024," Ingram said. "I am nearly back to 100 percent, and it has been over a year since I last had COVID. There is still a long way to go, but I am thankful for any opportunity to race and pray that my story points to the Lord and His work in my life."
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