As Kate Courtney sprinted to fourth place on stage four of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women last week, fans watching along the barriers would have been forgiven for thinking she had been road racing all her life. In fact, it was only her 14th day on the road, and her fourth in a WorldTour bunch.
Last month, Courtney parked her world-title-winning career as a mountain biker and transitioned to the tarmac. It’s a move, she says, that has felt like a “huge leap”, but has already borne fruits: in June, she won the US national title on just her fourth ever road race day.
