“I ride to see how much I can get out of myself and because I find it the most challenging mentally and physically.”
IF YOU THINK IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO BE A PRO AT JUST ONE SPORT, TRY BEING A PROFESSIONAL AT THREE. KATIE ZAFERES IS AN OLYMPIC TRIATHLETE AND, IN THE PAST FOUR YEARS, SHE HAS CLAIMED 18 WORLD TRIATHLON SERIES PODIUMS. THAT’S A LOT OF MEDALS.
Home base: watsonville, CALIFORNIA
AGE: 30
Best Results:
Rio Olympian (18th)
3rd at the WTS Grand Final 2018
2nd at the WTS Grand Final 2017
2017 and 2018 World Triathlon Overall Series Podiums
Favorite music?
Imagine Dragons
Favorite race or ride?
World Triathlon Series Hamburg
My dream career outside of cycling is…
I think I’m living the career dream in doing triathlon, but if I had to choose something else it would be something in Health and Wellness
My favorite academic subject is…
English
My earliest memory on a bike is…
Flipping over the handle bars at Easter on my Uncle’s bike that actually had very good working brakes so it mattered if I only pressed the front one
why do you ride?
I ride to see how much I can get out of myself and because I find it the most challenging mentally and physically. I want to push my boundaries and see how much better I can get.
Advice to up-AND-coming cyclists:
Find someone that you look up to and trust on the bike and ask them for help. Once you feel like you have a good handle on things see if there are local group rides to get involved in that are safe and respectful. Riding in groups is one of the things I attribute most to my progression on the bike in order to learn skills, push myself and learn how to ride in a group.
Why do you support outride?
I support Outride because I think there are so many benefits to kids getting outside and doing physical activity and actually playing rather than getting consumed by technology and social media. I feel there’s so much value in being physically active and on a bike it can lead you to not just be more fit, but also lead you to see new things and places!