In a matter of two years, Ashton Lambie has gone from riding gravel in Kansas to setting a new world record on the track at Pan-American Championships. He rode a time of 4:07.25 in the 4km individual pursuit on Friday in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

“This is an absolutely stunning achievement and the world should get to know Ashton Lambie,” said Derek Bouchard-Hall, president and CEO of USA Cycling.

Lambie, 27, has already won one gold medal at the Pan-Am Championships in the team pursuit on Thursday.

“Two years ago Ashton was a relatively unknown gravel rider,” added Scott Schnitzspahn, vice president of elite athletics, “Since then he has exploded onto the scene and raised the bar for our entire men’s endurance track program. We are so impressed by Ashton and his athletic ability and look forward to continuing this trajectory as we look towards 2020.”

Lambie’s first race with Team USA was 2017 Pan-American Championships. He qualified by winning the individual pursuit and placing second in the omnium and points race earlier that summer in his debut Track National Championship.

“It’s incredibly humbling to think about this past year up to today,” Lambie said. “It’s been a lot of hard work, but trusting the process and making the right decisions day to day makes all the difference. The support from my family, the team, and my coach have been so important. It’s amazing to have this result. I’m thankful as well to USA Cycling for all the support.”

He set the individual pursuit world record in the preliminary round. He went on to ride against his teammate Gavin Hoover for gold later in the evening, winning the event.

For now, his world record is unofficial, but he beat the previous mark, set by Jack Bobridge in 2011 by 3.284 seconds. The 4km individual pursuit is no longer an Olympic event but it remains part of the track world championships program.

Lambie’s fellow American Jennifer Valente also won gold Friday in the omnium event, her third victory of the event.