Photos by Mike Fox
Interview: The Story Behind the Katy Curd Youth Development Team
Privateer Bikes rider, professional coach and Ex National Downhill Champion Katy Curd tells us all about her new Youth Development program and her plans for 2023.
Katy Curd has an impressive mountain biking history racking up 7 World Cup podiums, winning National and European Championship Series plus Pro Tour Wins, and even now away from the race track, Katy can be seen day in day out on the trails around the Forest of Dean either riding for fun or coaching up and coming talent.
For 2023, Katy is taking her years of riding experience and race-winning success and channelling it into the newly formed Katy Curd Youth Development Team. This new program will help 3 young riders compete in National Enduro and Downhill Events with support from Privateer Bikes, Troy Lee Design and most importantly, Katy Curd.
We caught up with Katy ahead of the season to discuss her reasons for starting this new youth program and her goals for this upcoming season.
Could you tell us a little about the idea?
I am super excited about this. Ever since I started coaching I have always wanted to support younger riders get into racing. I want to give riders who are showing potential the support and guidance into the world of racing.
With years of racing and coaching experience, we are offering these riders help through our coaching program so they can learn from us as a mentor, take away the stress, bounce ideas and give them a safe place to enjoy racing.
We will be coaching them throughout the year and also be at the races with them to offer support on track.
What inspired you to start your own racing team?
More than anything I want to give back to the sport that has given me so much. I love coaching, I love racing and want to inspire more young riders into the sport of racing bikes.
We love it, could you tell us about the purpose of your team?
I don't want to help the riders already winning races, they're the ones that will get the attention of sponsors anyway. I want to help the riders who are showing determination and potential but might not ever get noticed, and offer these riders the knowledge we have gained through years of racing and coaching experience.
Through our coaching program we will offer these riders a mentor to support them with anything we can help with. Getting up to speed, mental preparation, line choice, nutrition, even how to deal with sponsors and social media. Our aim is to keep racing fun and try help take away any stresses that crop up.
"Focusing on ages 14-16, the team will prepare these riders for their junior racing years."
"Focusing on ages 14-16, the team will prepare these riders for their junior racing years."
How do your own experiences while racing make this important to you?
When I was racing I always wished I had someone to bounce ideas off of, a voice of support. On the rare occasions I did have someone, my results improved massively and I walked away with a podium result. That team backing was something I never really had, always being a privateer so to be able to offer the support to these young riders, to hopefully make a difference and give them motivation to know that someone else believes in them I think will power them through to achieve the results they have all set out to achieve.
What will your coaching bring to the team?
We have been coaching all of the riders for a couple of years now and this will continue with skills work but we want to offer more than just on the bike skills. We are here as more of a mentor. The whole package; training, nutrition, game plan and mental preparation. Racing isn’t as easy as turning up to the races and riding as fast as you can down the hill - there is now so much more involved so through a structured program over the year we will help build confidence in each of the riders with the knowledge we can pass on.
What is your aim?
My aim is to give these three riders an opportunity that otherwise they may not have been given. Our aim is to make sure we keep everything fun and to inspire other young riders into racing. Our aim is not about results. If we get results and podiums along the way that would be a bonus, but our aim is fun and showing them what can be achieved through racing, friendships, travelling, experiences. Racing has given me so much and I would love to pass this on.
Who is supporting the team and what will they help with?
We are still finalising plans but Katy Curd Coaching will be the coach/managing the team. Privateer Bikes are supporting us with the best bikes out there for training and racing enduro. MudHugger are supporting us with mud guards. We also have a few other companies who we will wait to announce as we get further into the season.
Do you plan to grow the team in the future?
At the moment we will just take things step by step. This is a whole new project for me and the riders so yes I would love for this to become a platform for young riders edging into world cups but I want to focus on giving these riders all the help we can this year and then see what develops from there on.
Where will we see the Katy Curd Youth Development Team?
They will be hitting Pearce races, national downhill races and the southern enduro or Welsh enduro rounds the don’t clash with the downhill races.
"After riding the 141 for the year, the bike is the perfect mix of a fun, playful bike to throw about on your local trails to being the most stable bike when you start turning on the speed. With the riders being so young it is important to me that each of them just get out there and ride for fun and the Privateer allows them to do exactly that from their back door whilst also being the perfect steed for a race weekend."
"After riding the 141 for the year, the bike is the perfect mix of a fun, playful bike to throw about on your local trails to being the most stable bike when you start turning on the speed. With the riders being so young it is important to me that each of them just get out there and ride for fun and the Privateer allows them to do exactly that from their back door whilst also being the perfect steed for a race weekend."
Let's hear about the bikes! What are they riding & why?
They will all be on the Privateer 141 for training and enduro racing. The people behind the company have an amazing ethos to the company and are so keen to continually improve products and bikes. Its amazing to be a part of the family and the bikes ride so good! They all have their own downhill bikes and will be racing the downhill races on these.