The Mental Game of Mountain Bike Racing with World Cup Champion Kate Courtney

Kate Courtney charged into the 2019 season wearing the rainbow jersey winning three back-to-back World Cups. It was clear she was ready to go all out but the winning streak didn’t hold out. She had to dig deep and keep the end goal in mind for the World Cup Overall. Like any champion knows, it’s not getting knocked down that matters, it’s getting back up and fighting on. In the final 2019 episode of “Rising” with Kate Courtney we dive into the Mental Game of Elite Mountain Bike Racing.

The Process
Sustaining yourself as an athlete takes discipline. It’s a fine balance between knowing when to go all in or when to simply take a break-a skill that certainly isn’t natural for an athlete that achieves their level by being unusually good at pushing themselves when everyone else has long gone home. That being said, all athletes at any level will face highs and lows that they simply can’t train for. Experience is the only teacher.  Read the full story (...)

The Learning
After an intense training camp mid-summer, Kate came out exhausted and her results reflected that. She had to take a step back and remember why she was here in the first place: because #funisfast and #fastisfun, as the team says. She had to take the season in stride and focus on the bigger picture. It was a learning process where some days, just keeping a smile on her face at the end of the race was the main goal.  Read the full story (...)

Q & A with Kate: 

Q: What would you say to another young athlete going through the highs and lows of a season to encourage them?

A: I love the quote, “It’s not the top of the mountain that sustains life, it’s the sides.” For me, remembering that it’s the journey and the climb that lead to those spectacular moments at the top helps keep in perspective the purpose of going out and giving your best every day - regardless of the result. It’s not always easy to enjoy the process and to trust it when things aren’t going the way you’d hoped, but pushing through those days is just as important to your success as enjoying the days where everything clicks.
 

Q: What is something you have learned from this season that you’ll carry forward?

A: This season I took away so many lessons! It was one of my most successful, rewarding and challenging seasons to date and has left me an ideal mix of confident, humbled and motivated heading into the Olympic year. One thing I have learned is that persistence pays off - you never know when you might be one step away from achieving a dream. If you stop moving forward, you may never know what might have been possible.

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