Interview with Kate Courtney: "She Sends Racing is born to inspire women and girls through our sport"

Kate Courtney, 2018 XCO world champion and one of the iconic figures of international mountain biking, has decided to embark on a new stage in her sports career by creating her own team: She Sends Racing. In this exclusive interview, Courtney reveals the reasons behind the change, what she thinks of the new UCI regulations, how they affect her, and her goals both in sports and personally for this season.

Interview with Kate Courtney before starting the first XCO season with her own team

Kate, after five successful years with SCOTT SRAM, you have decided to create your own team, She Sends Racing. What led you to make this decision and how was the process of taking this big step?

She Sends Racing grew out of my dream to combine my high performance goals as an athlete with what I feel is my purpose to connect, support and inspire women and girls through our sport. It was certainly a hard decision to make and a big, risky leap to take - but one that I really believe is the right step for me in my career.

Going from being part of an established team to leading your own project certainly has its challenges. What has been the biggest challenge you faced in forming She Sends Racing, and what lessons have you learned from this experience?

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Starting this team has been a challenge in so many ways—especially going out and finding partners who truly believe in my vision for the sport and are willing to put money behind it. The biggest lesson I’ve learned is that when you take on something new, you can’t always predict the challenges you will face and the problems you will need to solve. But for every unforeseen obstacle, I have been met with at least as many unforeseen opportunities.

Your team name, “She Sends Racing”, conveys strength and empowerment. What does it mean to you and what values does this team seek to convey both in and out of the sport?

When you really want to achieve a dream, there always comes a moment when you must take the risk to commit fully and go after it. To me, that is the moment when you have to send it. Initially, I chose this name for my foundation to inspire more women and girls to try mountain biking. It can be intimidating to try something new, especially a sport that has historically been male dominated. Putting the foundation’s mission and name at the heart of my racing is my version of sending it - of bringing myself fully to the sport and giving everything I have to this dream. I hope it inspires others, especially women and girls, to send it too.

Building a new team requires surrounding yourself with a great support group. Tell us about the key people or brands that have accompanied you in this project and how they have contributed to the development of the team. Can you tell us if you have any new signings in mind for the team this season?

If there’s one thing this process has taught me, it’s that mountain biking is a true team sport. At it’s core, it is about relationships - with coaches, teammates, sponsors, and even family members who pitch in to help.

The first person who encouraged me to take this step was my coach, Barry Austin. His belief in me and in this vision helped me reimagine what this chapter of my career could look like. My husband, parents, friends, and team (including my strength coach Matt Smith, mental coach David Spindler, mechanic Eric Fostvedt) also played a huge role in giving me the confidence to take this leap. But there is still a pretty big difference between committing to an idea and making it happen. I’m incredibly grateful to RJ Scaringe and Rivian for being the first sponsor to sign on to this program. Rivian is built around enabling adventure, and this is bound to be one of the biggest adventures of my life!

Now that you are leading your own team, what are She Sends Racing's, and your own, main goals for this season?

My main performance focus for this season is to target World Cup XCO events including the World Series and National, Pan American and World Championship events. Beyond my performance goals, I hope to bring new attention and support to the mission of the She Sends Foundation. While of course I am excited to push my edge and chase top level results, if all I accomplish this year is launching this new program and getting more girls on bikes - I will be very proud.

You come from a long way in professional XCO with very important achievements. What do you expect from this new stage of your career and what do you think will be different from your years with Specialized and SCOTT SRAM?

It is hard to know what to expect! While this seems like such a big change from the outside - on the performance side it is really just the continuation of my process of trying to get the absolute best out of myself. We have been working incredibly hard to isolate the parts of my preparation and performance that need work - and to create the best possible environment for me to show that work when it really counts.

Were you aware of the UCI regulation changes for 2025 when you decided to set up your team? How do you view these new rules?

Yes. I think the growth and evolution of our sport is a really great thing. Having fewer athletes on the World Cup circuit is definitely the right direction - and I think the UCI is doing a good job of exploring the best way to accomplish that. While I will not be aiming to compete as a UCI Elite team, my World Ranking will guarantee me a start spot as long as I remain in the top 100. I hope in the future that they continue to consider how the rules can accommodate highly ranked privateers alongside UCI Elite Teams. It will bring more sponsors into our sport and provide more avenues for athletes to reach their goals. 

This year you will be racing with Allied bikes, which marks your debut in the UCI XCO World Cup. What motivated you to choose Allied as your technical partner for this new stage and how is your adaptation to the new bike going?

I honestly can’t describe how excited I am to bring this bike to the UCI XCO World Cup. It has blown me away from the first ride and I will be very proud to race on an American brand this season. More than that, I am already being given a seat at the table to provide feedback, test prototypes and be a part of the evolution of this bike in the future. Because there are so many more men in the sport than women, I have a hunch that a lot of bikes have been designed, developed and tested around a size Medium or Large. I think it’s going to be pretty impactful to have a high level female rider giving feedback and helping to optimize the smaller frame sizes.

Finally, Kate, this move seems like a big step towards your independence and a new chapter in your career. What message would you give to young female riders who dream of making it as far as you have and, perhaps, one day leading their own teams?

Trust yourself and be yourself. It is often hard to remember in the world of high performance sport that your ultimate goal is to become the best version of YOU, not someone else. It is amazing to have heroes and idols and to be able to learn from the successful athletes around you - but at the end of the day there is no one path to success. The strategy that works for me most likely won’t work for you and vice versa. So don’t be afraid to try things, keep learning and make the changes you feel will encourage you to evolve as a racer and as a person.

Thank you very much to Kate for your time and for sharing your project with us. From Brujulabike, we wish you all the success in this new adventure with She Sends Racing.