Catharine Pendrel is a Canadian cross-country mountain biker from Fredericton, New Brunswick. She was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and grew up outside the small community of Harvey Station, New Brunswick. Listed as her personal heroes are Gunn-Rita Dahle and Marie-Hélène Prémont. She has been a member of the Canadian National team since 2003. Pendrel was the world champion in cross-country mountain biking in 2011 and 2014 and was the 2007 Pan American Games champion. She is also the current reigning Commonwealth Games champion when she won gold in Glasgow. Additionally, Pendrel is the 2010 World Cup Champion as well as the winner of the 2012 UCI World Cup Series.
Pendrel was a competitive horse rider in dressage prior to selecting mountain biking as her primary sport. Her brother Geoff Pendrel is an elite downhill mountain bike racer. He introduced her to the sport as a child through the trails he built on their horse farm. Pendrel’s first race was on a bike borrowed to her by her brother. She noted that she got into mountain biking because she “sucked at all the school sports.” She recounts that her first rides on her bike were often quite nervous ones ruled by fear, especially on descents
where she would walk her bike down, she said that “what I remember from starting is falling and crashing a lot.”
She then headed from the East Coast to the West Coast where she began riding at the University of Victoria. There she had to convince future coach Dan Proulx into taking her on, as he was quoted “Catharine and I often joke because, no, I didn’t see (world champion potential) in her at first. It took a lot of persistence and hard work over time. She had to bug me a bit to get me to coach her at first and luckily it all worked out. It just goes to show you, you can work hard and make something happen.”
Her first international competition was at the 2004 World Championships in Les Gets, France where she finished 46th. Prior to competing at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Pendrel competed at the 2007 Pan Am Games where she won gold. She finished 4th at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the cross-country event just 9 seconds out of a medal position.Pendrel was not as notable a rider at the time as was her hero, teammate, and gold medal favourite Marie-Hélène Prémont who did not finish after a lingering and unknown illness caused her to retire from the race.
This near Olympic success helped launch Pendrel’s most successful period. She won the 2010 UCI World Cup Series before winning the 2011 World Championships. These achievements put her as one of Canada’s top medal favourites for the 2012 Summer Olympics. In advance of the London games, she had won an online fan poll to be selected as Canada’s flag bearer, though the Canadian Olympic Committee eventually selected Simon Whitfield as the flag bearer. In response she tweeted “Thank you Canada & cycling fans for voting me as people’s choice for flag bearer. You honor and inspire me!”
Pendrel followed up Olympic disappointment with a great result in her next major multi-sport event the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. There she won the gold medal in the women’s mountain bike event while teammate Emily Batty followed her for a Canadian one-two finish on the podium.
Achievements of Catharine Pendrel
- 2014 World Mountain Bike Championship in Lillehammer, Norway
- 2014 Gold at Commonwealth Games Glasgow
- 2013 Cyclocross National Champion
- 2013 3rd World Cup Czech
- 2012 World Cup Overall Champion
- 2012 9th London Summer Olympics
- 2012 World cup wins Houffalize, MSA, Windham
- 2011 World Champion Champery, Switzerland
- 2011 Winner London Olympic Test Event
- 2010 World Cup Overall Champion
- 2010 4th Mtb World Championships
- 2008 4th Beijing Summer Olympics
- 10 World Cup wins, 4 Silver, 2 Bronze, 18 World Cup Podiums
- 4 Time Canadian National Champion
- 2008 Pan American Champion
- 2007 Pan Am Games champion
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Catharine Pendrel is 2014 world mountain bike champion and winner of 10 world cups. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You were a competitive horse rider in dressage prior to selecting mountain biking as your primary sport. Your brother Geoff Pendrel himself being an elite downhill mountain bike racer introduced this sports to you. You were ignited and made competitive cross-country mountain bike racing as your career and reached the pinnacle of success by winning world champion in cross-country mountain biking in 2011 and 2014.Tell us about your journey that took you to where you are now in the world of competitive cross-country mountain bike racing and what factors you consider were responsible that made you achieve that?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
Phew! That’s a big question! My brother introduced me to mtn biking when I was 16 (1997). He was older and already racing. I loved the community I saw at the races. The people racing seemed so fun that I wanted to learn to ride just to be part of that group. I switched from horse back riding (eventing and hunter/jumper) to mtn biking then when I was 16.
With starting University in another year I thought that mtn biking would be the perfect thing to help me stay fit and meet really cool people. I raced locally for years with the aspiration of going to the 2001 Canada Summer Games which I did (6th), but had no clue where to take cycling after that. I drifted for a bit until I signed up for the Triathlon club at the University of Victoria. On the first bike practice (2002) I met my future coach of 11 years Dan Proulx and my future husband Keith. Both Dan and Keith have had a huge role in my being able to accomplish what I have in cycling.
I think a support crew like I have is essential to success. At times…particularly when you have no money or bad races, you will ask yourself “why am I doing this?” and “is it worth it?” It really helps to have people behind you that say “yes it is worth it, let’s make it happen”.
I think you also need someone that can guide your training with objectivity and common sense as well as people that keep life fun and balanced. If it was all about the bike, bad day on the bike would become more than just a bad practice. Balance helps keep life in perspective.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You once said that your first rides on your bike were often quite nervous ones ruled by fear, especially on descents where you would walk your bike down, you said that “what I remember from starting is falling and crashing a lot.”. How could you overcome this fear in mountain bike racing as a sport?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
I wouldn’t say they were ruled by fear. I had a lot of fun. I had a lot of little crashes too, but I was ok with walking tough features until I was ready. I think this low pressure approach to learning really helped as I could progress at a rate I was comfortable with and pretty soon was known for my technical skill on a bike. With fear it is the same. You need to progress your skills in manageable steps, feel confident and successful with smaller features before expecting yourself to rail down a trail and over jumps… and sometime you just have to tell your brain to shut up and go. A Gretzky quote I like is that “you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
I really like cross:country skiing in the winter. I think being able to take a break from cycling and enjoy another sport really helps my mind and body stay healthy. It is good to challenge yourself in another way and when you come back to the bike again you are really excited to ride and have great training energy. Closer to race season I maintain this fresh energy by mixing my riding up between road and mtn biking, intervals and long endurance rides.
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
I half joke that I stay thin because I eat so much, but i think there is some truth to it. My body knows it will always be fed so it doesn’t hold onto fat. The fact that I burn 1000-4000 calories a day from exercise helps too! I try to eat lots of fruit and veggies. My diet is not strict but balanced. I find the healthier I eat the more i crave healthy food too which helps.
During the off season i carry about 5 pounds more than in race season and when leaning down for racing I make sure I am getting 10-15g protein 5/day to maintain lean muscle mass. I fuel on rides of over 1.5hrs with about 100+cal/hour so that I stay on top of energy needs for better quality riding and recovery and am pretty much a slave to the refuelling within the 30 min post tough workout glycogen window.
Catharine Pendrel on WomenFitness: It’s great to see women fitness highlighting athletes and other strong, powerful accomplished women. Readers: Whatever you do, do it with confidence. You’ll never know what you are capable of if you do not try!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding competitive mountain bike racing girls who all are your fans, they shall like to know from you, what they should do for their climb to ladder of success in field of competitive professional mountain bike racing?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
Set small goals that keep you motivated and feeling successful on your way to your bigger goals. Success takes time and a lot of practice. It’s hard to put a lot of hours into something that is no longer fun, so keep it fun!
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
How did you feel before and after your memorable win of world championship in cross-country mountain biking at Champery, Switzerland in 2011?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
Winning Worlds in 2011 was unbelievable. I had come so far as a rider since starting in 1997. I was coming off of an amazing season that had really challenged me to be my best and I felt confident I could have a strong race and maybe even win. As an athlete to achieve at that level is one of the best moments you can share with you family, coach and team, all the people that were part of making that moment possible.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
You raced to victory at the world mountain bike championships 2014, your second career title, maintaining the lead after suffering a flat tire on the final lap, 21 seconds ahead of former world champion Irina Kalentieva of Russia. You had a 43-second lead when you had the flat tire, but a quick wheel change kept you in first place. Tell us about those precious, win defining moments of anxiety when you discovered a flat tire and did not lose focus and went on to win the title?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
It was a weird mix of complete calm and oh no! As a racer you run through that scenario in your mind a lot and what you would do, but hope you never have to deal with it. I knew I could definitely lose the race without a wheel change, but had a good chance to make a final surge after the change even if Irina overtook me. I had complete faith in my mechanic Dusty Labarr to do a quick change in the tech zone which kept me calm. Once in the tech zone, he handled the change while i made sure I was in a gear I could accelerate away in and in the head space to dig really deep. That late drama made the win all that much more rewarding…and relieving!
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Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influencer and motivator in your success in the field of your career in competitive cross-country mountain bike racing ?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
Probably my husband. He was the one who encouraged me to compete at the elite level, to approach my future coach to take me on as an athlete and supported my decision to continue racing even when I was mostly broke and not sure if I would ever reach the next level. He always believed in me, gave me honest feedback and made sure that cycling stayed fun.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Tell us about your experience of winning gold at 2014 Commonwealth Games in cross-country mountain bike racing in Glasgow?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
The Commonwealth Games were a neat event, a mini-Olympics. Any time you get to represent your country at a major Games is special, to continue Canada’s Gold medal winning streak and to overcome a disappointing Olympics in 2012 was very rewarding.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
With exceptional hard work you are credited with all your achievements. Do you believe that does the hand of Providence (Supreme Being) played a role in your success?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
I think that we create much of our own fate, but I do feel very lucky to have the people in my life that I do. My family, the Canadian national team and the Luna team, an all women’s race team designed to give women the pro support men’s teams enjoy. These amazing people have made my success possible and a fun journey.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?
Ms. Catharine Pendrel:
It’s great to see women fitness highlighting athletes and other strong, powerful accomplished women. Readers: Whatever you do, do it with confidence. You’ll never know what you are capable of if you do not try!
You can check out some women in action on the World cup circuit at redbull.tv/bike
To know more about Catharine Pendrel, check her out at: http://cpendrel.blogspot.in/
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Women Fitness Team thanks Catharine Pendrel for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.
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All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.