Episode 3: Kathryn Bertine

“I’m all for struggle. In any sport, there’s a wonderful essence of struggle and seeing how good you can be. But struggle and inequality are not the same thing.”

For most of us, the phrase “professional athlete” conjures images of a celebrity figure with a seven-figure salary and a full support staff. But the reality for most endurance athletes, particularly women, is much less glamorous - income below the poverty line, out-of-pocket costs for travel and equipment, and more couch surfing than a college freshman on a cross-country road trip.

Kathryn Bertine is working to change that. Kathryn is a former professional cyclist, co-founder of the Le Tour Entier (http://www.letourentier.com/) movement to open the Tour de France to women, author of multiple books, and maker of the film Half the Road: The Passion, Pitfalls and Power of Women's Professional Cycling (http://firstrunfeatures.com/halftheroaddvd.html). Most importantly, she's a tireless activist and advocate for female athletes. After retiring from professional cycling in 2017, Kathryn founded the Homestretch Foundation (http://homestretchfoundation.org), a nonprofit organization that provides free housing and a supportive community for female professional cyclists training in Tucson, AZ. We sat down to talk with her about the incredible work she's doing with Homestretch, as well as about her personal experiences with injury and depression as an athlete.

Note: If you'd like to hear more from Kathryn after listening to this episode - which we expect you will - check out her article in Bicycling Magazine, My Year Without Power (http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/power-meters/kathryn-bertine-my-year-without-power).