While Catherine Hollibaugh’s friends are at the mall or talking on the phone about boys, she’s probably trudging through the mud on her cyclocross bike or tearing down tight singletrack somewhere.

The 17-year-old Midwest Academy student is one of the rising stars in the Planet Adventure race series, routinely beating more experienced riders twice her age. Not only has the youngest member of Team Nebo Ridge gained respect from her peers based on her athletic performances – she’s reached the podium in several of her last races -- but she’s also garnered many fans off the bike as well for her relentless enthusiasm and support toward her fellow riders.


Where do you intend to go to college?

I got accepted at Marian University for next fall, however I received a scholarship from ISU. I’m rooting big time for Marian, but I’ve not made my final decision.
 
What do you plan to study at school?

I think I’m going to major in Sports Performance with a concentration in Sports Psychology and maybe a minor in business. I like just about everything and anything to do with exercise and sports. Being healthy is a top priority for me.

I would like to study abroad because my parents did and have always talked about how important it is to learn another language and other cultures. My brother studied in China for three semesters and speaks Mandarin. My sister is looking at grad schools in the Netherlands. With the exception of this semester, I’ve taken Spanish since middle school and plan to continue Spanish in college so I'll be better prepared to study abroad.

What do you hope to do professionally after you graduate?

I can see myself teaching and coaching good nutrition and proper amounts of physical activity to people who'd like help in that area. I want to help people, especially children and teens, build self esteem and positive mindsets so they can lead happy, healthy balanced lifestyles for themselves and maybe encourage their family and friends to do the same.

What got you into cycling?

I have always been an active person, I like swimming, running, kayaking and especially cycling. My school is small and we don’t have any sports teams, so since 8th grade almost every day after school, I ride my bike to the Monon Center to work out.

I had been wanting to join some kind of sports club or team for years --swimming, soccer, baseball I didn’t care. A little over a year ago my mom took me seriously when I said I really wanted to try cycling. This time she searched on the Internet and found Nebo Ridge and Scott Bond. Scott invited me to the Backyard Cross last year and made arrangements for Yngvar Brynildssen to meet me at the course a week before the race. I had an old mountain bike that was too small for me and weighed about 40 pounds, but Yngvar said it was a “tank” and convinced us that try to find something lets say a little lighter. Chris from Nebo Ridge had an old mountain bike in his garage that actually fit, so he loaned it to me for the race. I’ve been hooked ever since.

What type of rider are you? If you had to compare yourself to a professional cyclist, who would it be?

I really like mountain biking; I love everything about it. I don’t know who I would compare myself to. That is a hard question because I don’t really “know” many pros except for Sally Marchand Collins.  I don’t really compare myself with her, but I do admire her. She has helped me a lot with my cycling.

What's been your proudest moment as a cyclist?

I’m going to have to say this past race in Cincinnati (Kings X). I wanted to win first place so bad, I could almost taste it. I ended up getting 2nd in the 35 and under and 4th (overall). This season, my performance has been all over the place: from good, ok, bad, terrible, even worse than before. I was starting to think maybe I should put myself out of my misery, until this weekend when I seemed to have an explosion of energy.  

What's been your most fun memory?

I have so many great memories: Rebecca’s, Janet’s, Sherry’s, and Lindsay’s silly socks with Matt egging them on over the PA; Will Johnson racing; Scott and Matt on the hill setting the stakes for the first MTV course, fighting like girls about the best lines and where to put the tape; Corbin racing in his long jeans and sneakers when there was snow on the ground … but I love the heckling! Jimmy with his megaphone, everyone lined up by the tape with their cowbells pounding a screaming, acting like idiots. The heckling is one of the reasons why I live for cyclocross, that and the racing, of course.

What are your goals for the rest of this season? For 2012?

My goal for the rest of the season would be to keep on improving in my performance. Hopefully I’ll reach my main goal which is to win the top step on the podium after the race. For 2012, I hope to see drastic improvements overall in my performance for racing mountain, road and cyclocross.

What's your favorite type of racing? Why?

My favorite type of racing I thought was mountain, but now I’m kind of digging cyclocross. I just love how crazy it is with the people, some you don’t even know, cheering you on to push harder. Yet, I love mountain because that is where I feel most at home with myself as a rider. Actually I love it all.

What's your favorite Planet Adventure event this season?

I liked the Major Taylor Velodrome races the most because I practiced on the course  with Scott Bond’s group. In addition I would sometimes ride during my extra free time which helped me get more familiar with the course, making the races easier and more fun.

Who do you love or hate competing against during the Planet Adventure season?

I love the group I race with in the women’s CAT 4. They are genuinely nice women as well as incredible racers. They are forcing me to ride harder and become a stronger racer.  However, I secretly hate how good they are!

What's the best piece of advice you've gotten from a teammate or peer?

The best advice I’ve gotten from almost everyone is to make sure you’re having fun. If it’s not fun, you won’t want to do it and you won’t do as well. At times I’ve questioned if what I’m doing is something I actually enjoy and want to continue doing. However, I am confident that I am in fact enjoying myself and that I really want to keep pursuing this sport.

What advice would you like to pass on?

For those new to the sport, I would pass on advice that has been given to me. Be patient with their abilities. I know it’s difficult not being where you want, not being as fast as the other experienced riders, not seeing outstanding results and improvements right away, but your body takes a long time to develop. I’m still trying to accept this fact. The key idea, in my opinion, is that it takes time to develop endurance, skills and speed, but eventually it’ll all fall into place.

What's your dream bike?

My dream bike would be an extremely light mountain bike and/or cyclocross bike.  I sometimes think, “Man, if only my bike was 5 or 10 lbs lighter, I could get to this spot, X times faster and pass person X, Y and Z.”

Favorite piece of gear?

My favorite piece of gear would be my arm and leg warmers. Rather than covering my team shorts or shirt with tights, I can put my leg and arm warmers on and still support my team while riding.

Best pre-ride meal? Post-ride?

The night before a race I try to eat salmon, a vegetable and potatoes. On race day, I eat oatmeal two hours beforehand, with bananas, blueberries and a hard-boiled egg. Post-ride, I always drink chocolate milk

If you could ride anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?

I wish I were a little more adventurous and crave to ride somewhere like Switzerland or Quebec, but I really want to go out west to Utah or Colorado and ride the mountain bike trails.

By Robert Annis