'I love it when it rains' - Cat Ferguson scores first win of the season at stormy Spanish Classic
Double junior world champion thrives in inclement weather at Navarra Classic
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The rain in Spain fell hard on Pamplona on Wednesday afternoon, to the delight of Cat Ferguson, who earned her first win of the season with Movistar.
The 19-year-old Brit sprinted to victory at the Navarra Classic – a lumpy one-day race held in the north of Spain. The success marked the double junior world champion’s first since starting her full-time pro contract this year, and her highest level win to date, ranked as a UCI 1.Pro.
“We knew it would be really hard, and the weather may be a bit unpredictable,” Ferguson told Esencia Ciclista post-race. “After the first couple of climbs it started to look really grey, with some thunder and lightning, and then it really started to rain.
“For me, that was the best moment of the race. I love it when it rains. I’m from Yorkshire in the UK and it rains there a lot – it really brings out the adrenaline and makes me feel like I’m racing and surviving even more. [It was] a really enjoyable race.”
The finish line scene was reminiscent of the Brit’s victory in the junior road race at the UCI World Championships last September. As she did beneath the downpour in Zurich, Switzerland, Ferguson raised both hands in the air on Wednesday, and saluted the sky as she crossed the line.
“I went maybe a little bit early,” she said of the bunch sprint, “and I was doubting myself in the last 100m. But I never looked back, and just kept going until the finish.
“The girls did an amazing job for me. We prepared really hard for this race, being a home race, and it feels really special to win. We went right past the service course at the beginning, and the girls did an amazing lead-out for me at the end. No one could even challenge us.”
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Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto’s Soraya Paladin finished second at the Navarra Classic, while Ruth Edwards (Human Powered Health) came third.
After winning two pro races as a stagiaire for Movistar at the end of last year, Ferguson’s first 1.Pro-level victory follows an impressive start to the season. The teenager earned a podium place in her debut WorldTour race this March, finishing third at the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, before going on to score top 10s at De Brabantse Pijl and on two stages of La Vuelta Femenina.
The Yorkshire-born rider is down to race the Tour of Britain Women next month.
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer and been host of the TT Podcast. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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