Meet Kate Courtney, Mountain Bike World Champion And 2021 U.S. Olympic Hopeful

The sport of mountain biking was invented in the United States. Americans dominated in the early ‘90s. By the end of the decade, though, it was a European game, especially in the cross-country (XC) discipline. A few American women carried the torch into the new millennium, which was followed by a 17-year drought. Until Kate Courtney arrived.

In her first season competing at the Elite level (2018), she came into the World Championships having not even finished on the podium in an Elite World Cup XCO event. She wasn’t a favorite coming in, but she certainly showed potential. Alas, everything came together, and she rode a brilliant race. The US was back on top. She followed this in 2019 by winning the first three World Cup events in a row and going on to win the World Cup Overall title.

It’s fitting that Courtney was born and raised in Marin County, California, the birthplace of mountain biking. Today, she has her sights set on the 2021 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. A gold medal would mean the triple crown of Elite XC mountain biking. So mark your calendars to watch her race on July 27th.

I had an opportunity to talk to Courtney about how she’s preparing for the biggest race of her life.

Rob Reed (RR): Let's talk about the Olympics. Everything's about the Olympics right now, right?

Kate Courtney (KC): Absolutely. This is the second Olympic year. We get a do-over.

RR: It sounds like right now, the worst-case scenario in terms of the event itself, is just that fans might not be present. Is that your read on the Olympics for this year?

KC: Yeah, I'm really hopeful from everything I've been hearing. And from what my national team coaches have been saying, it sounds like the Olympics will be going forward. And of course, as athletes, we need to prepare as though it's happening on schedule, as planned, and just roll with the punches in terms of what that will look like. But from my side, I really want to go to the Olympics as a competitor.

I think when I first wanted to qualify in 2016, I wanted to go a little bit for the fanfare, and for the swag and for getting to walk around the village and all the awesome things that come alongside that experience. But I'm a very different athlete now than I was four, I guess, five years ago. And I really want the opportunity to compete and compete at the highest level. And in many ways that can be done without fans. That can be done in an environment in which there's just a level playing field, and we get to go out and compete.

RR: Let's talk about the schedule with the World Cup. It looks like you'll go from Les Gets, France, on July 4th. And then the Olympics is what? The 25th, 26th?

KC: The 28th. [Now changed to the 27th]

RR: What do you do between those two events? What's the schedule look like?

KC: It'll depend a little bit on how things evolve in the next few months. So, we're kind of waiting to see what will be possible. I am trying to keep a really open mind about what the Olympic buildup will look like this year. I think last year, I certainly did not. I had my plan and I wanted to stick to it. And of course, that was something I had to learn to be more flexible on. But yeah, I think we've all built our resilience and adaptability muscles in 2020. And hopefully, there'll be a great way to kind of build up to the Olympics. I think that race in Les Gets is the last race before the Olympic Games. And then we will either go to training camp for a few weeks in Europe, or get to the Olympics early. It depends on whether there's a two-week quarantine or whether we are able to get access to the course earlier. A few of those things are still to be defined, but certainly, we’ll be in Tokyo at least two weeks before the event.

RR: Do you ever feel that you are at a disadvantage going to race in Europe against a mostly European field because of the travel?

KC: There's definitely some downsides to flying across the world to go to races. I think as American athletes, we've just had to learn to deal with that. For me being on a Swiss team, my team is three other Swiss riders and our team managers are in Switzerland as well. And having them has really enabled me to spend more time in Europe and have great support over there. So, I think I kind of get, in many ways the best of both worlds. I have an amazing place to train here in California and then I can I stay at my team manager’s house, and we will drive to the races. I get that benefit of being over there and having a more relaxed environment.

I think one of the toughest things that I experienced as a young racer was just being in a hotel the entire time, feeling like you're on the road the entire time, whereas the European racers would drive to the race on Wednesday, go home Sunday night and have three days to recover before the next World Cup.

RR: I actually interviewed Greg LeMond recently. He just lived in Belgium the whole time. Have you ever thought about just moving there for the European season start to finish?

KC: I have. I think it's a bit different with mountain biking. In road racing, they have so many of those key events, and I think there are just a lot more races in general. Whereas mountain biking, we’re really organized around those six or seven World Cups and World Championships, and they typically fall in two-week increments. So, for me, it's usually like two to four weeks on the road, and then two to three weeks at home. And a lot of times, I can train so well at home, I'm close to my family. And as I said, California, great weather. And I'm really happy at home. And I think that plays a huge part as well, just having that environment where you can push and train and really get strong in the offseason has been big for me. And then I go over and I compete.

This year, it may look a bit different. I definitely am considering spending a longer period of time in Europe just to make sure that I can get those high-intensity, competitive races in before the Olympics. But typically, it's not an issue to be flying over and flying back.

RR: Well, I guess it'll be a level playing field for the Olympics with the Europeans having to go to Asia, as well.

KC: I'm a travel pro. Maybe I have the advantage.

RR: Indeed! One of the things about the Olympics as an XC competitor is there's just one shot, right? I feel like there may be some envy of the swimmers who get like 20 or 30 different events and even the track riders get six. It doesn't seem fair. Have they thought about expanding XC and having a short track or some more events for XC riders?

KC: I think they are considering short track. But at the end of the day, I think, you know, with one opportunity, there's a big possibility for things to go wrong on that one day–

RR: Right, yeah. You could get a flat and then there's everything, right?

KC: Absolutely. But I think that's kind of the nature of the beast, and it makes you appreciate when things do go right. We don't have tons and tons and tons of opportunities, which means that when you really nail it on the right day at the right time, it's really meaningful. And that's why there's not that many mountain bike World Champions. There's not that many mountain bike gold medalists in history. They can fit on one piece of paper, probably. And that's something that's really special. So, I would say the risk of not achieving your goal is bigger when you only have one shot, but the reward is even better when you're able to put it together on that big, high-pressure day.

RR: Speaking of intense pressure, I want to ask you about sports psychology, and the evolution of that. It seems to have evolved quite a bit over the last 5 to 10 years. Can you explain how you think about sports psychology and what role that plays in your training and preparation?

KC: Sports psychology has been a huge part of my preparation. First, I work with my sports psychologist, and I think it was in 2016. And it was just after I didn't make the Olympic team and had a few bad races and I was between World Cups. I remember I had, I think it was actually World Championships, I had a really tough race. I was thinking I was going to be top five, maybe getting on the podium, and I ended up crashing on the first lap and just couldn't recover mentally. And so, I had a World Cup the next week, and I said like, “What am I going to do? I'm a disaster.”

I felt like for the first time I had not been able to give my all in that race. I put so much pressure on myself, not achieved what I wanted to achieve and knew it from that first lap. I had that crash, I knew I wasn't going to finish where I wanted to finish. And I wasn't able to give my full effort in that race. It kind of freaked me out. I was like, “I've always had this mental strength. I thought this was like an innate characteristic. What do I do?” And I ended up reaching out to a sports psychologist, and that kind of began this process for me of learning that mental toughness is a learned skill and it's something you can get better at and you can practice and you can develop all these tools so that when things happen, you have the right answer, you have the right tool and way to move forward.

Even if you don't get exactly what you want in the race, you will be able to meet personal objectives and know that you're doing the best you can with what you had. I would say to go along with that the next year at World Championships, I was the World Cup overall winner. I was going into the race ranked first, was having what I thought would be my best day and immediately crashed again, in the start loop. Another girl took out my front wheel and that was it. Another rider and I, Alessandra Keller, crashed and we're 50th in start loop. And this was in Australia, where it was all singletrack. There's no passing and I think this is a testament to what that training can do. I was able to get up. I caught as many girls as I could. I worked my way back up to second and for a few laps, thought I might still be able to win, but was able to get the silver medal. And even if that wasn't what I'd hoped for on that day, and was a disappointing result. For me, I feel like that story really encapsulates what the mental toughness, mental strength aspect can do and can help you get the most out of yourself, even on the toughest days. And that is a pride that you'll take forward more so than any race result.

RR: I've heard you recount the final couple laps of your World Championship win in 2018. And it's almost like you weren't thinking, “Oh my gosh, I can win”, or “Oh, my gosh, I can get a podium”. It's like, “I just have to get over this next thing and then I have to do this next obstacle. And then I have to ride this as good as I possibly can, as fast as I possibly can.” Is that also that process philosophy?

KC: Yeah, I think as a racer, every experience you have, gives you a little learning, particularly from the mental side. And I think all those things really came together for me at Worlds and the mental skill of being able to focus on those incremental objectives and being able to stay in that moment, whether you're winning surprisingly, or losing surprisingly, the experience is much the same of like managing that emotion, and doing what you need to do to keep moving forward. And I think the same skill that got me back to the silver medal in the World Championships the year before is the one that allowed me to keep my composure, and focus on the task at hand at Worlds.

And I do think it's interesting to talk to people about that race, because they always ask like, “What was going through your mind on this particular moment or this particular moment?” And the answer is always, as you said, focusing on getting over that little rock garden or focusing on just giving your best effort in this one section where you know, you've been strong. And I think there were a few moments where I realized, “Okay, I have a chance here.” And as athletes, that's all we're working for, is to have a chance. And once you have that, you have to give your best performance. And that involves doing all those little things really well.

So, I would say, my kind of excitement definitely ramped up towards the end of that race. But it was almost that I felt more focus and more pressure to execute those steps perfectly knowing that if I executed them perfectly, I could ride like I deserve to win and then I could maybe win.

RR: And you did. And I do want to talk about that moment, when I was watching it on time delay here in the States. It was just one of the most amazing moments in sport that I've witnessed. I just wanted to say that, but I also wanted to share my experience with your win if you'd allow me to.

KC: I’d love to hear it. Thank you.

RR: Because when you were coming over the line, I could relate as a competitor, because I had the distinction of having won—exactly one—sport cross-country race in my life where I got to put my hands over my head and go over the finish line. And I remember that like it was yesterday. But then immediately you went right to your parents, and then I shifted from relating to you to relating to your dad, because I have two daughters. I’m a girl dad, and I was overwhelmed with empathy for your dad.

KC: I will tell you, my dad. I’m sure my dad has watched that race over a hundred times, and he cries every time. It's something that was really special to share with my family. You kind of have these moments in life, where it's a little serendipity that all these things work out, not just in terms of the race, which of course was a big dream of mine. And I had the right opportunities and the right fitness and the right skills at the right time and was able to take that kind of career goal down. But I think more importantly, the things around it, having my family there, having them be able to listen to the loudspeaker in Swiss German and try to figure out something's happening. I think it’s like, “What's happening to Kate? Where is she? They're saying her name.” And then like, the US team grabbed them and said, “You guys want to come to the finish, like you guys need to be in the finish now.” And they had half a lap, and didn't know if I was winning.

Just hearing that story from them and the joy that it gave them and the experience that it gave them, to me, that is a huge part of the meaning behind what I do. And hearing the experience that you had even, like that is to me, it feels like a gift that I get to give to everyone who believes in me and who supports me. As an athlete, that's the greatest gift you can give and something that really motivates me not only to appreciate those precious moments that have happened like that, and have unfolded in that kind of serendipity, magical way, but also to work really, really hard to try to give that gift in the future and especially give it to the next generation of female cyclists in the US who hopefully we'll get to see some American women do some awesome stuff in the next couple years.

RR: Let's pivot off of that. Today's a special day. I noticed from social media. I didn't know it before that. But tell me what today is?

KC: It’s National Girls and Women in Sport Day.

RR: Yes. Amen.

KC: I think on this day, we think a lot about, for me, as a female athlete, I think about other female athletes that have inspired me or that I've looked up to, or the next generation of women looking up to me, but I think this day also is, as you said a lot about the girl dads and the men in the world who are working just as hard to make those opportunities available to everyone. And it takes both sides of the coin to really make change. And I will say as an athlete, I've definitely experienced some sexism and some gender inequality in my time as an athlete.

But I've also experienced, for example, on my current team, my team manager is one of the people who has given me the most opportunities, who has valued me the most fairly, who supports women's racing, watches women's racing, believes it's equally valuable, more competitive, in some days, more exciting in some days, but I think that there is a huge role for men and women to both participate in making a more even playing field for all of our athletes moving forward.

RR: On a less heavy note, I want to talk about your bike quiver. I noticed you got a trail bike recently.

KC: You can never have too many bikes.

RR: No.

KC: That is a firm belief that I hold deeply. Yes, I have my race bikes, I have the SCOTT Spark is my full suspension mountain bike. And that is, by far the best full suspension mount bike that I've ridden, and probably would be my choice for most rides, unless it's going to get really radical. And then I'll take the new trail bike, which is the SCOTT Genius, and that has a little more suspension. I think the biggest thing for me, actually, it has pretty beefy tires on it. So, for riding in Tahoe or for riding just really technical trails, even in Santa Cruz, it's helped me a lot to feel more comfortable pushing the edge and getting a little bit more confident at speed, which then carries over to the XC bike as well.

RR: Yeah, reduces the risk a little bit too, little extra suspension, little extra tread, lower chance of falling, you'd hope.

KC: A little more fun.

RR: And a little more fun. Do you have a gravel bike too, like a dedicated gravel bike?

KC: I do. Yeah, It's the SCOTT cross bike. So, we use that as our gravel bike. And for me, I actually set up my gravel bike with identical gearing to my road bike. So, it's not set up as a cross race bike and it's not necessarily even the typical gravel gearing. But for me, I actually find it a great training tool and want to have it pretty identical to my road bike for training. And also, as a backup in case something happens to my road bike, a power meter dies, wheel break, something needs to be replaced. I always have another option to train on. And we also make sure to do that on the mountain bikes as well. So, as my dad says, "There's redundancy in the system."

RR: Yes, that's always good. Have you ever ridden a bike park? Ever done a day of chairlift access mountain biking?

KC: A little bit. We actually did that this past summer up at Mount Bachelor. There were the really awful fires in California and they were pretty close to my house. And the smoke was terrible, you couldn't even really train inside at that point, because the air quality was so bad. So, unfortunately, it was three weeks out from when I was leaving to Europe and we just packed up the Sprinter van and started driving toward Oregon until we found clean air.

And we ended up in Mount Bachelor and we stayed in the parking lot for two weeks. So, that was, I would say, it looked like vacation in some ways, but it was a very tough environment to be a professional athlete training for World Cups. But the positive side is when you're sleeping in the parking lot, you are just 100 yards away from the chairlift and we could do some happy hour lift rides or do it in the morning before training. And that was a really great way to work on skills and just to have some fun out there.

RR: I found in my training, I'm fortunate to live in Park City where we have Deer Valley and a bike park, because I do more endurance races where there's 12,000 feet of climbing and 12,000 feet of descending. And it's hard to train to do 12,000 feet of descending on a regular basis. So, I use the bike park as a recovery day to go and log vertical and just build my downhill endurance for those races. I’m not sure anybody takes advantage of that in their training, but it was integral to mine.

KC: Yeah, it's been interesting. So, where I live in California is not home to the most technical trails. We do have some nearby, but by and large, the trails are pretty moderate in terms of technical skill. And so, one of the ways I've been able to really work on my downhill skills is, one, using Strava times actually, don't upload them publicly, but I’ll compare my times to local segments, and at least a few times a week, if I have an active recovery on the way up and really hit a few sections at full speed and see where I am with my technical skills, and that's one way. I think the other way is just being really intentional and using what you have.

So, if you have high speed descending, there's a lot of cornering that you do in a mountain bike race, and there's a lot of it that's going to be fast. And if you can be fast and good in corners, that's potentially more time than the technical features, or using a section and doing it a bunch of times. I actually was on a rock garden today and it's an uphill rock garden and it's kind of one of those that you like, clear and are like, phew, I'm glad I got it this time. But if you go back and you try every single line and you make it three times out of seven, probably, it's a great way to challenge yourself and do it when you're tired. Do it when it's wet. Do different lines. So, I think there are a lot of ways to work on skills even if you don't have a bike park nearby or access to the most technical trails.