Don’t let Nate get started. They’ll spend 2hrs talking about Cape Epic, and then Jonathan will be like “whoops, we’re out of time because people on the forum think our podcast is too long…see you guys next week”. And we’ll learn nothing about all the other training/racing she does.
3 Likes
We’re leading with cape epic 
. She did win!
10 Likes
Adding to this - what’s the relative importance of the following to winning MTB XC races:
- power (either W/kg or total watts), and climbing ability
- descending ability
- keeping momentum / speed through tight twisty sections
- line choice and bike handling to avoid flats
- tactics on pacing and how to position yourself in the field throughout the race
- drafting?
- luck, or lack of it
2 Likes
Would be interested to hear about her favorite workouts and/or most difficult. It’s always fun to hear what kind of training some of the elites actually do when it isn’t all posted on Strava and to hear their perspective on them.
I don’t know for sure, but i think that most pros don’t post interval workouts to hide them from competition. They post the more interesting stuff like fun workouts in the gym and general trail riding. The average person looking at a pro’s instagram doesn’t really care about the nerdery of structured training.
3 Likes
Hence in an interview with a company focused on the nerdery of structured training, that’d probably be a question most would be interested in hearing the answer to. I don’t think she needs to give away power and VO2 numbers to provide insight into her training that we don’t see as fans online.
Great podcast!
There were so many questions asked and I can tell that yall could have asked a ton more!
Kate Courtney is such a star. Really great job @Jonathan with hosting and moderating the episode. I’ve listened to her being interviewed on a number of programs, but this was IMHO the best to date. Her intelligence coupled with her raw physical ability make for an outstanding combination. It will be fun to continue to watch her career unfold and hopefully she can make a return appearance on the podcast in the future.
7 Likes
That was a superb podcast. Really enjoyed it, thanks.
Kate was great. Her maturity is off the charts for a young adult and on top of that her personality is very like-able and fun. The only thing I noticed was her team of experts might be difficult for the average person to relate to, but overall, I think she shared some really useful and achievable tips that made it worthwhile. I loved watching Amber’s reactions as it seems like Kate surprised her pleasantly with some of her nuggets of wisdom and inspiration.
1 Like
There were certain topics that we stayed away from in the interview based on conversations with Kate.
Some of that stuff is a competitive advantage for her or she didn’t have opinions on it.
Trust me, I want to know everything! 
8 Likes
Fantastic podcast. Extremely insightful view into how she operates, especially the mental side.
Kate comes across as one of the most “dialed in” athletes I’ve seen across many aspects of performance.
Even after all she’s achieved, she seems very driven to continue improving. She also appears to be enjoying the process and has a great team around her. That’s a dangerous combination for her competitors if she keeps on her current trajectory.
2 Likes
This +1
I’m about to head out to one of two 3hr sims this weekend before an 8hr race next weekend. I’m fitter and stronger than ever about her mental guidance is something I’m going to listen to again this afternoon and apply next week.
This episode has also helped me look forward to this ride rather than it being a training chore, as it now feels more purposeful as I add a bit of Kate inspired belief into it.
1 Like
It’s nice, I warmed to her a lot during the podcast. Previously I’d attributed her eloquence to being media trained/savvy, but over the course of the interview I realised she’s just an extremely natural conversationalist.
I got home and re-watched the La Bresse shorttrack. It was fun to watch it with some insight into how she felt at the time.
P.s. Nate, if you read this, keep on being you. As a fellow tremendously enthusiastic person, I was laughing at your barely suppressed excitement about having a legit Cape Epic source of information. I love how you openly mine every seam of information you can find.
4 Likes
She talked about an app for mobility workouts, what was the app?
The ready state
Her comments on the quality of courses was interesting. I have been shouted down locally about expressing concern that XC trails are being overtaken by the Enduro crowd. Suddenly trail builders are putting in gap jumps and other stuff that riders are having accidents on. If I try and talk about it I get the cold shoulder and get told to “improve my skills”. A lot of people don’t want to ride that way and it was good to hear a professional voice their opinions about what XC courses should be… not mini-enduro runs.
I know a lot of females locally that have tried MTB once and then gone over to road riding and never returned. It’s all because they were taken down trails that scared them and they’ve seen other have accidents. I think the Enduro trend is killing the scene and pushing people away from taking up the sport.
1 Like
The discussion of race course selection vs local trail difficulty is more separated than connected, IMO. Maybe there are parallels where new trail builders look to those large events to emulate local trails, but I don’t see that in my area.
Overall trail difficulty can be a touchy subject. Old guys like me (that learned on the toughest trails with what were essentially rigid road bikes with fat tires and wide bars) often rejoice in a trail that take some real effort and technique to ride. Some with a difficulty that leads to foot dabs most of the time make that one ride where you nail it “clean” a real accomplishment and super rewarding.
When possible, it’s great for trail systems to offer trails with all levels from green to blue and up to black. Proper signage is important as well, so people know what to expect on a trail. Pick and ride appropriately. I think people should be open to learning and pushing their limits and abilities to rise to tougher trails.
There’s nothing I hate more than when someone with no patience to learn proper skills on a high level trail, rips out an obstacle that I have worked on for over a decade to ride clean, just because it’s too hard. We’ve had a real problem with “dumbing down trails” in my area. These were made by talented builders who had great skills. As these semi-private trails became more widely known (and adopted by runners and hikers as well), some of my most cherished obstacles got removed. This was doubly bad since our access to the related land was based on a “no modification” stipulation to maintain the trails as originally built from 20 years ago. That’s a bit unique, but on par with issues I’ve heard in other areas where people take good, challenging trails and strip them down to ones that could be cleaned on a gravel bike.
Sure, super smooth and pristine flow trails are fun and generally accessible. But “hard” trails and related obstacles have just as much value for those that appreciate the challenge. I’m all for adding option lines for people to avoid the hard stuff when the trail system allows it. But that is not possible in all areas or trail systems. For those that are strict hard trails, I feel people need to ride them with the challenge, or pick trails with a lower difficulty level.
6 Likes
I agree completely. I’m fairly new to the sport and was a runner for many years before I made the switch to MTB because I loved trail running but my knees didn’t. As someone who doesn’t have the greatest technical skills, I love a good flow trail (I’m sure I’d feel the same if my skills were better though), but I also like trails with technical challenges because they give me things to work on and aim for. It’s incredibly satisfying to nail a new technical feature and feel like I’m progressing my skills. I want to challenge myself, so I’ll try trails that may be a bit outside my comfort zone tech-wise, but I have no shame in walking something I can’t clean, and sanitizing trails just ruins it for everyone.
3 Likes