Catherine Cheatley (née Sell; born 6 April 1983 in

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

) is a retired New Zealand professional road and track cyclist. She won two New Zealand championship titles in both road race and individual track pursuit, and later represented her nation New Zealand at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. Before her official retirement in June 2012 because of sustained bike crash-related injuries, Cheatley moved to the United States to race for the Cheerwine and pro cycling teams in the women's elite professional events on the UCI Women's World Cup, and

UCI World Championships The UCI world championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winne ...

, where she earned the bronze medal for the women's points race in 2007.

Racing career

Amateur career

Professional career

Cheatley made her world championship debut at the

2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2007 UCI Track Cycling World Championships is the World Championship for track cycling. It took place in Palma de Mallorca, Spain from March 29, 2007 to April 1, 2007. The event was dominated by the Great Britain team who topped the medals ta ...

Palma de Mallorca, Spain Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca ...

on 1 April, where she took home the bronze medal in the women's points race, adding to the individual pursuit gold she had won at the New Zealand track championships two weeks previously. Strong and impressive results landed her a spot on the United States' Cheerwine Cycling Team, which signified a start of her professional sporting career. While competing for Cheerwine under an exclusive two-year contract, Cheatley managed her team to "defend their jersey" and dominate the

Fitchburg Longsjo Classic Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, also known as the Longsjo Classic, was an annual bicycle race held in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, United States. The race began in 1960 as the Arthur M. Longsjo Jr Memorial Race, in honor of Art Longsjo. History Th ...

circuit title in 2008. Cheatley qualified for the New Zealand squad in two cycling events at the

in Beijing by receiving one of the nation's two available berths from the UCI World Cup and by finishing third in the points race from the

. In the women's road race, held on the second day of the Games, Cheatley posted a time of 3:41:08 to successfully complete a gruelling race with a fifty-third-place finish, trailing behind US rider and two-time Olympian

Christine Thorburn Christine Thorburn (born September 17, 1969, in Davenport, Iowa) is a retired American professional road cyclist. She became the U.S. women's individual time trial champion in 2004, and later represented the United States in two editions of the ...

by a small amount of velocity. The following week, in the women's points race, Cheatley failed to collect a single point from the 10 scoring laps in a 25-km sprint race, finishing well down the field in seventeenth place. When the Cheerwine folded the 2008 season, Cheatley transferred to for two seasons, and then helped her women's cycling team grab an early lead on the first stage of the

Cascade Cycling Classic The Cascade Cycling Classic was the longest running elite road bicycle racing stage race in the United States (1980–2019), with 2018 being the only year the race was not held. The race took place in the Central Oregon region and was based in Be ...

before mounting a second place overall at the final circuit. In 2011, Cheatley won her third road race title at the

national championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

. Shortly after, Cheatley was seriously injured in the round-the-mountain road crash around

Mount Taranaki Mount Taranaki (), also known as Mount Egmont, is a dormant stratovolcano in the Taranaki region on the west coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is the second highest point in the North Island, after Mount Ruapehu. The mountain has a secon ...

, suffering multiple fractures of her hip that required full surgery and rehabilitation. In June 2012, Cheatley had officially retired from competitive cycling, and instead, worked on a full-time role as one of BikeNZ's regional development coordinators.

Personal life

Catherine Sell married fellow Wanganui Cycling Club member Dayle Cheatley in April 2006.

Career highlights

;2004 : 1st MaillotNuevaZelanda

New Zealand National Road Race Championships The New Zealand National Road Race Championship is a road bicycle race that takes place inside the New Zealand National Cycling Championship, and decides the best cyclist in this type of race. The first edition took place in 1934. The first winn ...

;2005 : 1st Overall,

Women's Tour of New Zealand The Women's Tour of New Zealand is a stage race for elite women road cyclists held in New Zealand at the end of February or the beginning of March. It is rated as 2.2 on the UCI classification scheme. It was not held in 2013 or 2014, but return ...

: 1st

Oceania Games Oceania (, , ) is a region, geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern Hemisphere, Eastern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of ...

(Scratch race), Wanganui ;2006 : 1st MaillotNuevaZelanda

;2007 : 1st MaillotNuevaZelanda

New Zealand Track Cycling Championships (Pursuit),

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

(NZL) : 1st Stage 1,

Nature Valley Grand Prix The North Star Grand Prix is a men's and women's road bicycle racing stage race held each June in Minnesota, United States, as part of the North Star Bicycle Festival. An event was added in North Mankato in 2016. The North Star Grand Prix is on ...

, United States : 2nd New Zealand Track Cycling Championships (Points race),

(NZL) : 2nd Stage 3, Nature Valley Grand Prix, United States : 2nd Stage 5,

Tour de Toona The International Tour de Toona was a stage bicycle race held in Central Pennsylvania in July from 1987 until 2011. The event became the largest pro-am cycling event in North America and had stages spanning Blair, Cambria, Bedford, and Somerset ...

, United States :

UCI Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

, (

Points race A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men between 1984–2008 and for women 1996–2008. Starting in 2012, the points race is one of the omnium even ...

Palma de Mallorca Palma (; ; also known as ''Palma de Mallorca'', officially between 1983–88, 2006–08, and 2012–16) is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situate ...

(ESP) ;2008 :1st

Clarendon Cup The Armed Forces Cycling Classic (formerly known as the Air Force Association Cycling Classic) refers to a weekend of road bicycle racing events held annually in June in Arlington, Virginia, United States. The weekend consists of several amateur e ...

: 1st Overall,

, United States :: 1st Stage 2 :: 2nd Stage 1 : 2nd Overall, Joe Martin Stage Race, United States :: 2nd Prologue :: 2nd Stage 1 :: 3rd Stage 3 : 3rd

New Zealand Championships The New Zealand Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament founded in 1885 in Napier, New Zealand also known as the New Zealand National Lawn Tennis Championships or the New Zealand Lawn Tennis Association Championships. The ...

(Criterium) : 10th

(Scratch),

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

(GBR) : 17th

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

(

), Beijing (CHN) : 53rd

(

Road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

), Beijing (CHN) ;2009 : 1st Stage 3, Tour de Vineyards, Marble Mountain (NZL) : 2nd Stage 2, Tour de Vineyards, New Zealand : 2nd Stage 2,

Tour of the Gila The Tour of the Gila is a cycling stage race for both men and women located in New Mexico, United States. It is sponsored by the component maker SRAM. The "Gila" began in 1987. Beginning in 2012, the men's Gila has been added to the UCI America ...

, United States : 2nd Stage 5,

, United States : 3rd Stage 1, Tour de Vineyards, New Zealand : 3rd Overall, San Dimas Stage Race, United States :: 2nd Stage 2 : 3rd Stage 2,

Sea Otter Classic The Sea Otter Classic is a bicycling and outdoor sports festival and exposition held each spring since 1991 at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca in Monterey, California. The four-day event is considered the world's largest cycling festival, ...

, United States : 3rd Stage 4,

Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

(NZL) : 5th Overall,

Liberty Classic The Liberty Classic was an annual women's bicycle race held from 1994 to 2012, simultaneously with the Philadelphia International Championship. The 57.6 mile race consisted of four laps of a 14.4 mile circuit through Philadelphia with 5 climbs up t ...

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

(USA) : 10th 2009 UCI World Championships (Road),

Mendrisio Mendrisio (; lmo, label= Ticinese, Mendris ) is a municipality in the district of Mendrisio in the canton of Ticino in Switzerland. Mendrisio is the seat of the Accademia di Architettura of the university of Italian-speaking Switzerland (U ...

(SUI) ;2010 : 2nd Overall,

, United States :: 1st Stage 1 :: 2nd Stage 3 :: 2nd Stage 5 : 10th Stage 1,

Tour of Chongming Island The Tour of Chongming Island International Cycling Race is an annual elite women's road bicycle racing stage race held in Shanghai, China, named after Chongming Island. The Tour previously consisted of two races: a stage race and a one-day race. ...

Xizang The Tibet Autonomous Region or Xizang Autonomous Region, often shortened to Tibet or Xizang, is a province-level autonomous region of the People's Republic of China in Southwest China. It was overlayed on the traditional Tibetan regions of Ü ...

(CHN) : 10th Stage 3,

, Shanghai (CHN) ;2011 : 1st MaillotNuevaZelanda

New Zealand Championships (Road),

(NZL) : 2nd Overall, Tour of New Zealand, New Zealand :: 2nd Stage 1 :: 2nd Stage 2 :: 3rd Stage 3

References

External links

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archive
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatley, Cath 1983 births Living people New Zealand female cyclists Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for New Zealand Sportspeople from Whanganui Cyclists at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Cyclists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand