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Catharine Pendrel’s Olympic homecoming

Bronze medalist sits second overall in the World Cup so despite Olympic success, the season is not yet over

August 28, 2016
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The season is not yet over for Olympian Catharine Pendrel who added a bronze medal in Rio to her impressive palmarès. The resident of Kamloops, B.C. only has a limited about of time to enjoy her time at home before she boards a plane to fly to Europe for the final race of the World Cup. Sitting second overall in the overall standings, the race in Vallnord in Andorra on September 4 gives Pendrel the opportunity to cap off her year with another strong performance. If the cards fall right, she could even take her third win in the overall World Cup standings, something she has already accomplished twice in her career (2010, 2012).

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When Canadian Cycling Magazine spoke to Pendrel, she was in the Vancouver airport on her way home from Rio de Janiero still processing her Olympic performance. The Rio Olympics were the 35-year-olds third games and after coming close in London in 2012, she succeeded at winning a coveted Olympic medal.

“Whenever I see or hold my medal it makes me smile,” said Pendrel. “I know from winning the world championships twice that life isn’t going to change dramatically but I have the feeling of ‘I did it’. It’s hard to believe it actually happened. It’s very special, especially when you have to overcome an obstacle. I have the memories of coming fourth in London, I know the anguish of having a disappointing race,”

Pendrel’s race in Rio did not start as planned getting caught up in a crash and suffering a mechanical on the opening circuit but she rallied putting on a relentless chase that saw her move into medal contention by the races mid-point. “Without the crashes I know I would have been in the mix for gold and silver, unfortunately I had bad luck but I am very proud of my race.”

The Olympics give sports a much larger reach than they often enjoy at other times of the year and winning a medal increases the exposure. “One of the coolest parts of the games is when you get messages from people that their daughters now want to get out on a bike and ride, ” said Pendrel. “The Olympics are such a unique opportunity because you can reach such a large audience and have the opportunity to showcase to your country how strong your sport is. They really do inspire and encourage people to try something new and set big goals”

Now back in Canada, Pendrel said she looks forward to giving her mind a bit of a rest before turning the switch back on for Andorra with a camping trip planned. A fresh salad was also something she had been craving after being forced to avoid washed greens while in Brazil. Of course, she was also excited to see her friends and supporters back home.

With an Olympic medal now added to her trophy case along with two rainbow jerseys, the two World Cup overall classification wins and a gold medal from the Commonwealth Games (2014) Pendrel’s drive to continue racing is still there. “I want to keep improving and winning a medal at this stage of my career shows I am still learning and still getting better,” said Pendrel who has no plans for retirement in the foreseeable future, not even wanting to rule out the possibility of competing in Tokyo in 2020.