Catharine Pendrel pumped for cyclocross nationals

A fixture at the very top of women’s mountain bike racing, Catharine Pendrel knows that cyclocross demands different skills from a rider. This year, in an effort to stand atop the Canadian podium at the national cyclocross championships, Pendrel has taken on her first ‘cross races in the U.S. as part of her fall training.

Pendrel raced U.S. cyclocross for the first time this fall, finishing third at Cross Vegas, and then having mixed results at Jingle Cross UCI races in Iowa City, Iowa.

Home in Kamloops, B.C., for the final run up to nationals in Surrey, Pendrel is happy to have put in some extra ‘cross racing this fall.

“Every time I go to ‘cross nationals, I always leave feeling I could have done better if I had one more race on my legs,” said Pendrel, ahead of the Jingle Cross weekend. “The idea was to come to the U.S. to race against a strong women’s field and work on some ‘cross specific skills.”

Pendrel knows that a strong start is critical in ‘cross racing, and working those skills was a big part of her recent race weekend.

“Having a good start is always critical,” said Pendrel. “You can lose a lot of time in traffic and burn a lot of matches trying to get to the start. It’s also something that I’d really like to improve in my mountain bike racing.”

By the end of the Jingle Cross weekend, Pendrel had stomped out one of her best starts ever, only to have her efforts spoiled when her seat rotated upright, costing time and positions in the first half lap of her last race of the weekend. With a trip to the pits, and a new bike under her, Pendrel attacked hard to work her way up from 14th overall.

Pendrel had been looking at how best to work her way through pack racing that often characterizes cyclocross racing, and her early race misfortunes set up a test of everything she’d learned.

“There are always decisive points on a course so it comes down to recognizing hat they are and how to optimize them,” said Pendrel, who was knocked down when trying to pass another rider on the inside of a corner.

Whether the extra efforts this fall will prove successful will only be seen at the finish line in Surrey, but Pendrel feels good about her chances.

“I think I can hold my own and am looking forward to some good fast racing.”