Georgia Catterick aiming for time trial success at Junior World Championships
	September 18th 2015           Talented New Zealand junior Georgia Catterick is ready to take on the world at her first World Championships in Richmond, Virginia next week. 17-year-old Catterick from Blenheim on New Zealand's South Island has split her 2015 season racing between New Zealand and in the Australian National Road Series. Catterick claimed the silver medal in the New Zealand Junior Time Trial Championship in April. Before heading to Tasmania for the Mersey Valley Tour for a top 10 finish against the clock among a strong field. Her strength against the clock makes her a name to watch in the junior women's individual time trial on Monday, September 21. PelotonWatch: What made you take up cycling and how old were you? Georgia Catterick: I have been exposed to bike racing my whole life and after watching my brother start out I thought it looked like fun and I decided to try it out at the age of 12 and then the competitiveness and the feeling of speed got me hooked. PW: Who has been your biggest influence? GC: Growing up Sophie Williamson was an inspiration person to me as she was so well as a junior and then as a first year senior. It gave me belief that it wasn't impossible to achieve greatly coming from New Zealand if you put the hard work in. PW: Biggest challenge you have had to overcome? GC: When I was 13 I developed Scoliosis (a 40 degree curve in my spine) I went from mixing it up with the best in my age group then loosing minutes to the leaders, at first this was a huge challenge for me until we found a local Biokinetic specialist Emma Viening, who has helped me strengthen my muscles to support the curve. This is an ongoing problem for me but if I keep it maintained with daily exercises it doesn't seem to bother me. PW: Best memory or result you have achieved? GC: After having a pretty challenging year in 2013 realising I had Scoliosis, I came back the next year and gained my first National medal coming 2nd in the under 19 women's time trial. I was stoked to know that all the hours I spent working on my Scoliosis was worth it and has motivated me to train harder and smarter to get on the top step. PW: You have raced a number of NRS events this year how have you found it? GC: After calming my nerves, the big peloton is exciting, I find it fun trying to navigate my way up the bunch. The pace is always fast and there seems to be someone to watch or follow, there's not a dull moment. The NRS has been challenging, every race I have been tested and the NRS shows everyone's true leg power. The races I have done have already made me a better more experienced rider. PW: Finished as the second junior at the Mersey Valley Tour and 12th overall including 10th in the time trial how important a result was this for you? GC: I'm stoked to come away with 12th, as I have never experienced hills quite like it. The tour was definitely an honest tour, there was no hiding, and you really had to fight for it! Getting 10th in the time trial was a confidence builder to know I could actually mix it up with the best of them or not being to far away and being second junior behind the worlds bronze medallist looks good for Worlds. PW: How does the racing in Australia compare with the racing in New Zealand? GC: From racing in New Zealand I hadn't experienced anything like it. We don't have the huge peloton or enough riders that have been exposed to fast racing and don't have as much tours on offer. Racing in Australia was a big step up from any races I have done in New Zealand. The pace was a lot faster and a lot more women's teams racing as a team not individual riders racing with the same kit on. But later as more NZ riders have made the trip across the ditch the racing has been expanding and being more positive. We just need more sponsors interested in developing Women's Teams like the ones you see in the NRS. PW: Named in the New Zealand team for the Road World Championships. What does it mean to be selected to represent your country? GC: I am so overwhelmed to represent my country at the World Champs. It has been my dream ever since I started cycling. I want to race to my full potential and make my country proud. The support I have had from my community has been amazing. It makes me realise how lucky I am to live in Blenheim. PW: Just raced the Tour of the King Valley happy unfortunately crashing out on stage three. Happy with how your form is coming? GC: Although my results don't really show much of how I really went at King Valley. I am pretty happy with how my form is coming on, I wasn't too far off the pace of the leaders and felt pretty comfortable in the peloton. I was gutted I couldn't test my legs on the hills in the last stage but that's bike racing. PW: You are strong against the clock is the time trial your focus at the World Championships? GC: Yes it will be my focus. It will be quite different to other time trials I have ridden as it is on a much more technical course, rather than out and back. PW: What do you know of the course and do you think it is going to suit you? GC: I'm excited for the time trial, it's not your typical out and back course. From what I have heard it's more of a technical course and the road race will be exciting with the cobbled climbs. Generally I prefer races, which have longer hill sections, but this race will be challenging and I'm looking forward to it.