Kathryn Bertine

Kathryn Bertine (born 11 May 1975) is a Saint Kitts and Nevis racing cyclist, author, activist, film-maker and former professional figure skater and professional triathlete. She turned professional in road cycling in 2012 and raced on World Tour teams until 2017. Bertine competed in eight UCI Road World Championships, won three Caribbean Championship titles and six Saint Kitts and Nevis National Championship titles.

She is best known for her activism in petitioning the organisers of the Tour de France, the Amaury Sport Organisation, to launch a women's Tour de France.

Biography Bertine was born in Bronxville, New York. After a sporting childhood, she became a professional figure skater aged 23, appearing in ice skating shows including the Ice Capades and Holiday on Ice. She undertook her undergraduate education at Colgate University, where she competed in cross country running and rowing alongside skating. After graduating she took a year out to travel and pursue her skating career, before returning to education to study for a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Arizona.

Whilst in Arizona she took up competing in triathlon, eventually spending three years as a professional in the sport. By 2005, Bertine was a professional triathlete, however this was not financially sustainable. After attempting multiple sports including handball, open water swimming and modern pentathlon, she chose road cycling. In January 2007, she took up Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship to improve her chances of selection for the Olympics, after failing to make the United States team.

Her cycling career continued, with her first professional contract with Team Colavita in 2012. A manifesto was published, and over 100,000 signatures were received. In July 2014, the first edition of La Course by Le Tour de France was staged on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, ahead of the final stage of the 2014 Tour de France. Organised by ASO, La Course was welcomed by the professional peloton, media and campaigners, with Bertine praised for being the "catalyst" behind the push for the race. In November 2015 she was announced as part of the Cylance Pro Cycling team for the 2016 season. Bertine continued to criticise cycling's governing body and race organisers, expressing disappointment that La Course had not evolved into a multi day stage race. In 2017, she retired from professional racing, and created the Homestretch Foundation, which assists female pro athletes who struggle with the gender pay gap. Her fourth book, a memoir on activism, was published in February 2021. In 2021, ASO announced that the Tour de France Femmes would be held over 8 days in July 2022. The announcement was met with praise by the media, peloton and campaigners including Bertine. She did caution that the women's race would be significantly shorter than the men's race, with less prize money and TV coverage.

Major results

2009 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships 2010 10th Pan American Time Trial Championships 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships 1st Flapjack Flats Time Trial 2011 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Time Trial Championships 1st Saint Kitts and Nevis National Road Race Championships 5th Valley of the Sun Stage Race 2012 2nd Tucson Bicycle Classic 5th Valley of the Sun Stage Race 2013 1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships

2014 1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships

2015 1st Caribbean Time Trial Championships

Works

STAND: A memoir on activism. A manual for progress. What really happens when we stand on the front lines of change. (2021, New Shelf Press; ) The Road Less Taken: Lessons from a Life Spent Cycling (2014, Triumph Books; ) As Good as Gold: 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries, and a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics (2010, ESPN Books; ) All the Sundays Yet to Come: A Skater's Journey (2003, Little, Brown and Company; )