Earlier this week we published a feature on Naomi Hansen, who races for the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com Team as an Elite amateur. We also spoke to Catherine Williamson, when she was racing the Craft Bike Transalp for her bizhub Cycling Team. Based in Northern England for most of the year, Williamson’s team and sponsorship allows her to race and train in South Africa for extended periods of time.
What prompted your start in competitive cycling, and was it straight into MTB?
I went from triathlon, and I was on the triathlon national squad, and then they moved me into cycling as I moved up to the senior ranks. So I moved into cycling on the road. I started mountain bike racing two years ago. They only did road over there (South Africa), so to do something different and because it was safer than training on the roads, I moved into mountain biking.
What sort of involvement has your national federation had in your progress?
In triathlon I went from under 23 to Senior, and that was the time they made it draft legal. I was told my swimming wasn’t quite good enough. So I was moved into cycling. I was on a National squad for a year. I was lucky because they moved me straight into the National road cycling squad, before it disbanded. That got me into Europe and straight into some of the big tours.
How quickly did your move to competitive cycling lead to gaining a level of sponsorship?
From the big tours, I was able to make contact with the big teams in Europe, and that got me directly into where I needed to be.
Even with a broken pedal, the Bizhub-fcf Team had a good day at Transalp 2012, Stage 6.
Did your initial sponsorship involve a support structure for attending races, or with training and preparation? Or was it something that developed with time?
With the National squad I did, but then that disbanded and it was a case of go out and find it yourself. I found a couple of Italian teams, and I would go and stay in Italy for a few weeks – then come home and then go back out there. The National squad didn’t really support women’s cycling that much unless you were on the track.
How much are you now able to rely just on your sporting performance and sponsorship support, how long did it take for this to develop?
I’ve always worked. It’s quite hard to get personal sponsorship because your team has to wear certain sunglasses, do this and do that. I think in the UK it is very hard to get personal sponsorship. I was very lucky because when I went to South Africa, one of the reasons I went there was because I couldn’t afford to just go to Europe and race – there’s no wages really in Europe. Then I got an offer in South Africa, the wages have been good enough that I can afford to go over and take a few months away from home and race. Then I come home and work through our summer.
There are downsides to being on a women’s team… you’d better like pink!
With a higher level of support, has it been a positive motivator, or does it ever feel like extra stress with greater expectations? How have you adapted?
It is an extra pressure, and there have been a few team problems and you suddenly realise that you’re not just cycling for fun and you are getting a wage from it. You realise it’s a job. But then you do mountain bike races, and you think: well this is a fantastic job if that’s what I can call a job.
No doubt there are still lessons you learn each race, or each season. What are some of the most valuable things you have learnt about your training, recovery or racing as your career has progressed?
Definitely. I have done a lot of stage races on the road. I’m doing more stage races on the mountain bike, so learning more and more. You always learn. I often do too much after a stage race, so you don’t get the benefits of the race itself. In the race, especially when you’re riding as pairs, you learn how to ride with your team mates. Every race you learn something, even from the bad days. You learn more from bad days.
With where you are now, in terms of support, is it allowing you to achieve your sporting goals? And what are the goals you still want to achieve?
The thing now, is it would be nice to be able to do more races in Europe, as that’s the only way to improve now. I can improve my technical abilities, and I think that would only come from racing a summer in Europe. And that would be self funded. To progress now, if I was paid full time and going to do a lot of races in Europe, that’s the only way to improve.
I only want to be in the sport for a couple more years. Europe is where the competition is. I was 8th in the European Marathon Championships, so I’d like to see if I could get top 10 in the Worlds next year – if I really focused on it. If I improve my technical side, then I can get there.
Catherine Williamson and Ischen Stopforth of Team BIZ HUB. Photo Nick Muzik/SPORTZPICS