Catherine Nadeau: as fast as the men!

The year 2007 is coming to an end and Catherine has only two races left: one in the women’s and the other in the men’s. Catherine intends to give it her best shot for each of the last tournaments. Her goals are to maintain her first place to win the Women’s Cup and to scale up to third place in the men’s category.

It’s on the weekend that the 29-year old athlete will prove her mettle in Shannonville in Ontario. It is the second to the last race of the Women’s Cup, as well as the 7th and decisive test of the Canadian championships.“There were races where I made some small mistakes preventing me from finishing higher. I had a tiny fall in Mont Tremblant, but apart from that, it really went well. I was riding with full confidence”, she said just before her departure for Shannonville, a tiny municipality between Kingston and Peterborough. The rider remains confident, determined in achieving the objectives she has set for herself. “That’s where the action is - the motorcycle track. I know it very well and when the season ends, I get to know my motorcycle better. I’d like to do well in both races; I won’t be satisfied with just one race.”

Catherine confirms that there really is no difference between competing against the men or against the women. «It’s true that men are a lot faster, but they are more reticent about a woman overtaking them. On the track, the women are just as aggressive and we know how to stay on our lane, it’s certainly not a hazard ! When we overtake a man, we have the impression that they like to chase us right after. It’s like their pride is wounded,” she giggled.

In the women’s category, Nadeau (81 points) is eight points ahead of Marie-Josée Boucher. The motorcyclist stands 5 feet 7 inches and has won one race to-date at Tremblant. In 2003, during the first series of the Women’s Cup, the LaSalle resident had won the six races on the schedule and became champion. Having also finished in first place last year, Catherine is eyeing a third title in the women’s category in five years.

Catherine Nadeau had the opportunity to race on a Yamaha motorcycle with the ACME Slate team. Outside of her motorcycling interests, Catherine keeps herself busy. At 29 years old, she works as a dental hygienist in Lachine and has been doing this for some time now. She used to live in Lachine before moving to LaSalle.