Kathryn Bertine

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Kathryn Bertine
UCI Bike Race 2015 (21481784328).jpg
Bertine at the 2015 UCI Road World Championships
Personal information
Born (1975-05-11) 11 May 1975 (age 46)
Bronxville, New York
Team information
Current teamCylance Pro Cycling
RoleRider
Amateur teams
2009Specialized D4W/Bicycle Haus[1]
2010-2011TriSports Cycling-Eclipse Racing[1]
Professional teams
2007Sport Beans/NTTC[1]
2012-2013Colavita-espnW Pro Cycling[2][3]
2014Wiggle High5
2015BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental
2016Cylance Pro Cycling
Major wins
Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Champion (2009–2011)
Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Champion (2009–2011)

Kathryn Bertine (born 11 May 1975) is a Saint Kitts and Nevis racing cyclist,[4] writer, film-maker and former professional figure skater and professional triathlete. She turned professional in road cycling in 2012 and raced on World Tour teams until 2017. Bertine competed in eight UCI Road World Championships, won three Caribbean Championship titles and six SKN National Championship titles. She is best known in cycling for her activism in petitioning ASO to include women in the Tour de France, where she and her Le Tour Entier activism team created La Course by Tour de France in 2014. She stood on the start line with her team, Wiggle-Honda Pro Cycling, at the age of 39.

Bertine was born in Bronxville, New York.[5] She was a figure skater until the age of 23, appearing in ice skating shows including the Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice. She undertook her undergraduate education at Colgate University, where she competed in cross country running and rowing alongside skating. After graduating she took a year out to travel and pursue her skating career, before returning to education to study for a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona. Whilst in Arizona she took up competing in triathlon, eventually spending three years as a professional in the sport.[6]

Bertine also pursued a career as a writer, working for ESPN. Whilst working at ESPN she accepted an assignment in 2006 to qualify for the 2008 Summer Olympics in any sport, choosing to focus on cycling. She was granted dual citizenship of Saint Kitts and Nevis alongside her American citizenship to be able to even attempt qualification for the Olympics. In return, she helped build a cycling federation with equal inclusion for women in SKN. While she didn't qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games, Bertine was educated on gender inequities in sport and became an activist for equal opportunity in cycling. Although her ESPN assignment was over, a new chapter of activism began.

Bertine is a co-founder of Le Tour Entier, an organisation campaigning for the re-establishment of the Tour de France Féminin and has been credited as "the catalyst for the movement to bring women back to the Tour."[7] She was signed by the Wiggle Honda team in 2014, ahead of the inaugural running of La Course by Le Tour de France, a criterium organised by Le Tour Entier and the Tour de France owners, the Amaury Sport Organisation in response to Le Tour Entier's campaign.[8] Bertine joined BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental in 2015, making her debut with the team at Grand Prix cycliste de Gatineau in June of that year.[9] In November 2015 she was announced as part of the inaugural squad for the Cylance Pro Cycling team for the 2016 season.[10] Bertine retired from professional racing in 2017, and created the Homestretch Foundation, which assists female pro athletes who struggle with the gender pay gap. She serves as CEO of Homestretch, and her fourth book, "STAND: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress. What really happens when we stand on the front lines of change" was published February 2021.

Bertine also directed Half the Road, a documentary film about women's cycling.[11]

Major results[]

2009
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships
2010
10th Pan American Time Trial Championships
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships
1st Flapjack Flats Time Trial[12]
2011
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships
1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships
5th Valley of the Sun Stage Race[13]
2012
2nd Tucson Bicycle Classic[14]
5th Valley of the Sun Stage Race[15]
2013
1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships
2014 – [1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships]
2015
1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Race Results for Kathryn Bertine". USA Cycling. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  2. ^ Hudak, Kristen (20 March 2012). "Colavita forms new Women's Pro Cycling Team, cobranded with espnW" (Press release). ESPN. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  3. ^ "Fine Cooking Joins Colavita to Sponsor New Pro Women's Cycling Team". teamcolavita.com. 7 February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Kathryn Bertine". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
  5. ^ Hager, Collin (1 August 2008). "A Q & A with Kathryn Bertine, ESPN Olympian - Part I". Bleacher Report.
  6. ^ Fan, Pan Pan (9 August 2012). "Road to the Olympics: Kathryn Bertine, Cyclist". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  7. ^ "Women as Athletes, Not Accessories, at Least for a Day". The New York Times. 27 July 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  8. ^ Bull, Nick (3 July 2014). "Wiggle-Honda sign Kathryn Bertine ahead of La Course by Tour de France race". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  9. ^ "BMW P/B Happy Tooth Line Up For GP Gatineau". BMW p/b Happy Tooth Dental. 2 June 2015. Archived from the original on 24 December 2015. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  10. ^ Weislo, Laura (10 November 2015). "New women's team Cylance taking aim at inaugural WorldTour". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
  11. ^ Gates, Anita (17 April 2014). "A Plea for Equal Pay for Equal Pedaling". nytimes.com. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  12. ^ "Race Results for Flapjack Flats Time Trial". USA Cycling. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  13. ^ "Race Results for Valley of the Sun Stage Race". USA Cycling. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  14. ^ "Race Results for Tucson Bicycle Classic". USA Cycling. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  15. ^ "Race Results for Valley of the Sun Stage Race". USA Cycling. Retrieved 4 July 2014.

External links[]

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