British talent Cat Ferguson had quite the 2023 season. From winning her first Nations Cup on her debut at Trofeo Binda Juniors and following it up with victory at the Tour of Flanders to finishing second at the World Championships in Glasgow and closing out the road season as the top-ranked junior rider, Ferguson looks set for stardom.
The Yorkshire-based teenager was exceptionally consistent and exceeded expectations with her haul of victories as a first-year junior. A common theme of her first few wins was a hand over the mouth in amazement as she appeared to surprise herself, but the Briton will have to get used to having her arms in the air at the rate she’s currently going.
Many teams came knocking after her immediate success, but it’s Spanish squad Movistar that has secured her signature. She stressed that the move just felt right from her first meetings with team manager Sebastián Unzué.
She’ll join Movistar as a trainee in August next year after turning 18 in April, with her first full season in the WorldTour due to arrive in 2025. Ferguson will close out her time as a second-year junior for Shibden Hope Apex Tech, a Yorkshire-based team run by her father.
Ferguson has impressed not only on the road but also on the cyclocross field and the track. British cycling fans may know her for dominating the junior National Trophy series, but she announced herself globally with her first World Cup win in Troyes last month. It was another surprise for Ferguson, perhaps still unsure of just how good she is.
From her work with well-known coaches Seth Smith and Emma Trott, Ferguson has developed into a rider with great race-craft and technical ability, able to employ a strong sprint to take wins on a range of routes. Look out for her on all types of parcours but sooner still, the upcoming rounds of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup and World Championships in Tabor.
Cyclingnews caught up with Ferguson after she returned home from the Dublin World Cup and had a moment away from washing muddy kit and studying for her A-Levels.
Cyclingnews: I understand you’re from a region of the country where cycling is very popular in Yorkshire, but how did you get into the sport?
Cat Ferguson: First of all, I’m very proud to be from Yorkshire. My mum’s from Cumbria and my dad’s from Yorkshire and it was him who got me into it as he used to do climbing, and to keep his weight down he used to do mountain biking. So when I was younger he used to take me on a tag along on…
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