Catherine Powers is a great competitor and friend. She would be a pleasure for any team or coach to have on their roster. She has been through the tough times and has stuck with it. Tried some track and did well and I’m glad that she has a new team and things are going well. She has a great spirit and attitude toward life and racing, let’s hear her tell it.

Enjoy campocat.

JC Hi Catherine, did you have a pink twenty inch bike with streamers when you were little, or did you just one day become a pro? Was there a special someone who started you on this path to rack and ruin?

@##=#<1,L>@##=#CP I did own a bike with a banana seat and streamers but I’ve never been much of a pink kind of girl. I started cycling when I lived in Costa Rica. I was working as a translator for a women’s organization and they really didn’t have much work for me to do. I was bored, so I took the hybrid I’d brought with me for transportation and joined a triathlon team. It turns out I’m a terrible runner … hence I became a cyclist. In Costa Rica, Manuel Quiros was a major cycling mentor. Here in New York, Kyoo Min and what used to be the Renaissance team took me under their wing for a while. Then in my second year of racing I began working with Matt Koschara, who really guided my development as a cyclist.

JC We have raced briefly together, and you are incredible. I was worried you would get into trouble that night, and you did. There aren’t many people that bring out the fatherly spirit in me. Have there been any more scraps with the pavement lately?

CP Ah yes, I remember that crash at Trexlertown. If I recall correctly, I didn’t actually get myself into trouble. I was taken out by a certain overzealous male competitor who dove onto the apron and back up to clip my wheel. Just for the record, mind you. Last year I was pretty crash-free. I did have the misfortune of being behind Gina Grain at Charlotte when she got too cozy with the barriers. A lot of us went down in that one. Other than that, it was a good year, crash-wise.

JC Who are you riding for now, and what is the role you are playing on this team, or is there one?

CP This year I am riding with the Aaron’s Professional Women’s Cycling Team. I’m very psyched because this is a big step for me. We are mostly focusing on the big criteriums but will also compete in Nature Valley and Altoona. Our team considers riders’ roles to be pretty fluid. That being said, Shannon Hutchison is a proven sprinter, having won Athens last year and achieved podium results at crit nationals and a lot of other major races. I am sure I will frequently be called upon as a lead-out, as will break-away specialist Candice Blickem. But our team has a lot of options for the win.

JC How was last year for you, and what do you look to accomplish this year?

CP The early part of last season was challenging in a lot of ways. My racing really kicked into gear in July, when I headed out to Superweek. Riding the rest of the season with Colavita, I got to experience amazing team comradery and direction. I felt like I was really able to ride to my potential at Altoona. Teammate Ashley Kimmet and I finished off the season strong at Mengoni and Thater. It made me very excited about the 2006 season.

JC Is there anything special you have been working on, or is your training been pretty much as usual?

CP I’ve been doing some longer climbing intervals. Hopefully that will pay off! I’m working with a new coach, so lots of things are different. And I finally got my Powertap to work for a few weeks in a row. It’s been incredibly useful.

JC You had some good results in California, I think it was Redlands? Are you going out there again this year? Or do you have something else planned?

@##=#<2,R>@##=#CP Uh, no Redlands has never been a great race for me. I prefer Sea Otter, but since it’s only one day this year it wasn’t worth the trip. I will be doing the Central Valley Classic to kick off my season. My team’s first target race will be Athens.

JC Do you have any long trips planned or have you gone to any far off places, maybe across the puddle? The woman’s tour da France?

CP Nope. Not at the moment. I wouldn’t turn down the opportunity but right now I’m focused on having a good domestic season. I did get to go to Brasil this fall but there was no cycling involved.

JC How much did CRCA and Central Park play in your development? Do you have any memorable race stories from horse pucky alley?

CP I will always be CRCA in my heart. I am still close to a lot of my (CRCA sub-team) Radical Media teammates who are some seriously fierce women and I enjoy reading posts on the e-group. CRCA was a great place to learn the art of bike racing. It’s a big and generally supportive cycling community. There are soooo many people (including you, John) who reached out to me with help, advice, equipment and occasionally shoulders to cry on. Some of my best cycling memories are of early morning races followed by breakfast on the Upper West Side and of lazy weekend rides in the fall up to the Orchards for the best apple cider doughnuts on the planet. And I definitely miss partying NYC style. Boulder is very tame in comparison.

JC This is so cool to have you as the first woman pro racer I’ve interviewed. We are looking to do a talk show soon, you can come and do that with us. Enough of my jabbering, this one is for you to say anything you like so don’t be shy. Tell my juniors Emma, Charlotte, Gabby, and Jennell what it takes. Stay safe, ride hard. Save the last dance for me. I refuse to wear a tutu.

CP I am very flattered to be interviewed. If I had to give advice to juniors I would say that they should race as much as they possibly can because you learn to race by racing. And I would say that the training is only part of the equation – figuring out how to organize and balance your life as an athlete and a whole person is equally important. And finally, I would encourage junior racers and all women cyclists to stand up for yourselves and demand fair treatment in a male-dominated sport. Urge race promoters, media outlets and sponsors to continue to adjust their attitudes, prize lists, coverage and sponsorship to reflect the growing presence of women in bike racing and the concomitant increase in aggressiveness and action-packed racing. These things will change when we insist that they change and not before.