How do you choose a North American Female Cyclist of the Year in a season when Kristin Armstrong, Sarah Hammer and Jill Kintner all won world championships? The answer is, we didn’t. Instead, VeloNews chose to honor all three for their remarkable accomplishments and brought them together in November for a photo shoot. During a few hours together on a warm, sunny day in Dana Point, California, the women discussed, among other things, cycling’s most fashionable accessory: the rainbow jersey.

Armstrong, the world time-trial champ, and Hammer, the world individual pursuit champion, rode together as T-Mobile teammates in 2003. Kintner, the two-time world four-cross champion, had never met the other two before. The three world champs quickly delved into the differences between their bike-racing worlds.

“Jill’s racing is just a minute long, Sarah’s is three-and-a-half minutes, and Jill learned today that mine is 35 minutes, so I feel like we have all the aerobic and anaerobic systems covered,” Armstrong joked. “I would say the training is completely different for all three of us.”

As the riders explored their differences, Armstrong, 33, and Hammer, 23, gave Kintner the hard sell on track racing. The former world BMX champion often wins four-cross events on the power of her fast starts, and Armstrong and Hammer argued this ability would translate well to the women’s sprint and 500-meter time trial in the velodrome.

“But aren’t the sprinters, all, you know, big girls?” Kintner asked.

“The trend now is to be a lot thinner,” Hammer replied. “The rounds are so fast. The women’s 500-meter world champion, Victoria Pendleton, she’s pretty lean.”

“What keeps it exciting for you?” Kintner asked. “I mean, you’re just riding around, so it’s got to be the tactics, right? Because for me it is mostly about skills, obstacles and timing.”

Hammer suggested Kintner might like the keirin or sprints. “You get into each other’s head before you get on the line,” she said. “And anything goes in the keirin. People head-butt. It’s all jockeying for position.”

Kintner, 25, might indeed be ready to jockey for position with a new challenge — over the past two years, she has dominated a sport where fewer than 20 pro women compete at the top level. Just as Kintner was unfamiliar with her fellow world champions, Armstrong knew little about Kintner’s dominance of her sport. “What are you doing that is so much better than everyone else?” Armstrong asked….

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For the full text of this story and the rest of our 2006 Awards, checkthe latest issue of VeloNews.Reader'sChoiceSarah Hammer - 53%
Kristin Armtrong - 36%
Marie-Hélène Prémont - 5%
Amber Neben - 3%
Jill Kintner - 3%Previous Winners2005 - Marie-Hélène Prémont
2004 - Dede Barry
2003 - Alison Dunlap
2002 - Alison Dunlap
2001 - Lyne Bessette
2000 - Mari Holden
1999 - Alison Dunlap
1998 - Linda Jackson
1997 - Linda Jackson
1996 - Linda Brenneman
1995 - Juli Furtado
1994 - Juli Furtado
1993 - Rebecca Twigg
1992 - Ruthie Matthes
1991 - Juli Furtado
1990 - Connie Paraskevin-Young
1989 - Susan Elias’
1988 - Inga Thompson