South African Catherine Colyn hopes to acquire valuable racing experience from her stint with the Donna Aevolo team in the United States.
“I was given the opportunity by team manager Jono Clouter to come and do the Tour of the Gila,” said Colyn.
“It’s a climbing tour and Jono believed I’d be well suited for it. It’s also placed as an A-type race for me.”
South African Catherine Colyn will race with the Donna Aevolo team in the United States until June. Photo: Supplied
The Tour of the Gila started in New Mexico, US, yesterday and will run until Sunday.
“This is a great opportunity for me going forward,” said the 22-year-old, who placed third overall in this year’s Tour of Good Hope in the Paarl valley.
“I’m able to show my strengths against the strongest teams in America and will also hopefully be able to collect valuable UCI points for the 2020 Olympic Games.”
Colyn added that she hoped to learn something valuable from every team she raced for, whether major or seemingly insignificant.
“Those things collectively make you a great athlete and help you to grow in the right direction.
“Personally, I hope I’ll be able to perform on the days when I need to perform.”
Colyn, who made the Canyon-SRAM/Zwift Academy semifinals last year, arrived in the US on April 22 and will be there until June 8.
“I’m currently in Silver City for the tour, which is a 2.2 UCI-ranked event, then I’ll be based in Mountain View, California.”
She added that she was not sure of her plans upon returning, but would like to compete in the Knysna Cycle Tour.
