Catching Katerina: 2020
Katerina, Geoff Kabush and her infamous four-legged pals captured at OLAB in Downtown.
Five new Specialzed bikes and a lot of time at home is a welcomed (but hopefully short) break from 19 years as a professional Clif athlete.
How does the last few months look like for one of the top mountain bike athletes in the world? Turns out, for 5-time Olympian, Katerina Nash, the shutdown has been a nice break. For her entire adult life she has been competing. This is her 19th year as a professional Clif athlete and for the last ten years, she has been doubling down with back to back seasons of mountain bike racing and cyclocross. In light of the recent race cancelations, Katerina is spending time in one place and enjoying her extended time at home, right here in Truckee, CA.
For many cyclists, Tahoe might be considered one of the better locations to “shelter in place”. Katerina is able to take advantage of the expansive local riding from her front door, all without a training schedule, allowing her the freedom to take on whatever feels right for the day. The best part of each day is that it starts and ends with her two sweet vizsla dogs by her side.
With a quiver of five Specialized bikes, it can be hard to choose what path to take each day. This spring started off with a lot of gravel rides on the new Diverge.
Katerina describes the discoveries she has found exploring gravel routes, “Even after living in the Tahoe area for 20 years I have to admit I haven’t seen it all. The Specialized Diverge couldn’t have arrived at a better time! Some trails are still melting and others are busy. Roads are somewhat limited around here. With no racing in sight I’m not focused on intensity or specific training. This means I can just go as long as I want and get to places I have only seen on maps before. With the endless fire roads and all sorts of trails zig zagging through the Sierra, I’m stoked to explore them on my new bike and I’m ready to see more of my home on two wheels with a little suspension to smooth out the long days which is what makes the Diverge different. With big tires and all the gears it comes with, I also have what’s needed for starting at 6000ft and climbing to the surrounding peaks.”
Snowlines started creeping higher and the opportunity to support COVID-19 relief came along about the same time. Katerina took the challenge to participate in the Giddy Up for Good challenge put on by friend and athlete, Rebecca Rusch. She also talked local friend Sam Shields into joining her to climb four peaks totaling over 10,500 vertical feet on their mountain bikes. This is what “taking a break” looks like for Katernia.
Needless to say, the Tahoe area is treating Katernia pretty well through challenging times.
If you follow women's mountain biking at all, you know that Katerina is usually the one out there to keep an eye on. Young girls from all over have looked up to Katerina for inspiration as they grow and learn the sport themselves. I mean, how can you be that good, for that long?! She has continually taken over the podium spots for over a decade and is incredible to say the least. When asked who she looks up to she says, “It’s hard to have heroes when you’ve been racing for so long because they are all so young and you don’t want to label them as a hero because then it’s hard to beat them.” She goes on to say, “My real heroes are women who have a full time job and are still rippers. They still have energy and do it because they love riding so much.”
Advice from Katerina to those aspiring next generation of competitors is, “Find an awesome group of people to ride with. Everyone has to do it in their own way, but for me, I have to enjoy it, or what’s the point?”
Katerina is hopeful to get back into racing soon, but for now, we’re very happy to see her shining face around town, out on the trails and in the shop.