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[[{“value”:”Kate Courtney: from Mountain Bike World Champ to U.S. National Road Champ, with sights set on the ‘28 Olympic Road Race.
Kate is one of the most accomplished mountain bikers in the world. Today, she’s chasing an entirely new dream: earning a spot on the U.S. road team for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
In the most ambitious reinvention in modern cycling, Kate has left the discipline that made her famous to start over in the World Tour Peloton.
And yet, it’s a homecoming.
Kate started racing in high school with Specialized. She won her first World Championship with Specialized. Now she’s back, joining forces with Specialized and FDJ-SUEZ as she takes on the biggest challenge of her life.
In this episode, Kate sits down with Ben Edwards to discuss the decision that changed everything.
What started with a broken wrist and a disrupted mountain bike season became something much bigger. Leadville. Marathon Worlds. Cape Epic. One new challenge led to another until a broken wrist that disrupted her season and an unexpected call from USA Cycling inviting her to race Road Nationals led Kate to realized she wasn’t looking for a way back to her old path in Cross Country. She was looking for a completely new challenge.
The results came quickly. Kate won the U.S. Professional Road National Championship and earned a place on the American team for the Road World Championships.
But that’s only part of the story.
This conversation explores what it’s like to become a beginner again after reaching the top of your sport. Kate shares the lessons she’s learning inside one of the strongest teams in cycling, the challenge of mastering road tactics and team racing, and why she believes growth comes from pursuing possibility rather than certainty.
They also discuss the Tour de France Femmes, the road to LA28, the mission behind the She Sends Foundation, and the power of embracing a beginner’s mindset at every stage of life.
This is a conversation about reinvention, risk, and the courage to go all in on a dream that might not seem possible.
This episode covers:
• Why Kate left mountain biking after becoming a World Champion
• The injury that unexpectedly changed her career trajectory
• How Leadville, Marathon Worlds, and Cape Epic sparked a new dream
• Returning to Specialized and joining FDJ-SUEZ
• Winning the U.S. Professional Road National Championship
• Learning the demands of WorldTour racing
• Racing the Tour of Britain
• Chasing a spot on the team at the Tour de France Femmes
• The road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
• Why a beginner’s mindset matters at the highest level of sport
• The lessons of growth, failure, and reinvention
• The mission of the She Sends Foundation
• Why “going for it” is a philosophy for life, not just racing
Guest: Kate Courtney
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