Wheels start to spin in Munich
AS a child Kat Garfoot rode the streets of Munich just to get around.
It was a necessity, and one that gave her no pleasure.
Now she rides to be the best in the world and, as she prepares to cycle for gold in today’s time trial, the Gold Coaster has paid homage to the city that inspired her love for bikes.
“I learnt to ride when I was little and used it for transport in Germany but I didn’t enjoy it,” Garfoot said. “It was just a bike. I never rode a road bike either so it was definitely different.
“It was the nature that changed things when I moved here. Riding in the forest and the social part of it helped as well. It’s quite amazing the cycling community here and I have really enjoyed being part of it.
“I didn’t have many friends when I moved here but I found a lot through cycling.”
A desire for masters degree in osteopathy in English and an affordable course in New Zealand drew her to the nation across the Tasman, where she met now-husband Chris, who was based on the Gold Coast.
He introduced her to mountain bike riding in 2008 when she moved to the Glitter Strip and, soon after, Chris bought her road bike.
Garfoot, 36, is now the reigning Australian time trial champion who has competed at both the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games (third) and 2016 Rio Olympics (ninth) in the riding discipline.
Illness hampered her Rio campaign but a flawless preparation has Garfoot setting high expectations for herself this time around.
“I always set myself high expectations and I want to do really well (today),” Garfoot said.
“My prep has been good. I made sure I wasn’t overdoing things and thus far I haven’t been sick. I’m in good shape.”
Garfoot said she would wait until after the Games to decide if she would retire but didn’t rule out pushing ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. a second-hand