CYCLING BIO
In 1999, twenty-five-year-old Katie Mactier quit her office job at a Melbourne advertising agency to pursue cycling. Within seven years she had become one of the world’s most decorated cyclists, boasting a world record, Olympic silver medal, world title, Commonwealth Games gold, plus four individual pursuit national titles remarkably bookended by two national crowns on the road.
Beginning with the Carnegie Caulfield Cycling Club in Melbourne, the late start in comparison to her counterparts was no barrier for Mactier as she etched her name onto the Melbourne to Warrnambool Classic honour roll in 1999, becoming one of just a handful of women to have completed the 270km-plus gruelling event in its 100 year history.
Awarded a VIS scholarship shortly after, Mactier famously raced to victory at the 2001 Road National Championships before making her Australian debut at the Road World Championships later in the year.
A professional road contract came in 2002, but it was early in 2003 where her track career began, Mactier revealing that her first pedal strokes on a fixed-gear bike came as a result of delay in her US Visa application.
The lack of track experience didn’t stop Mactier as she triumphed at the Nationals to claim her first of four individual pursuit crowns. In the process, the result qualified her for the 2003 Track World Championships and also launched her Olympic campaign.
The quick times rapidly turned into the world’s fastest as Mactier soared to break the world record (3:29.945) in qualifying at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and become the first woman to break the 3 minute 30 second barrier. New Zealand’s Sarah Ulmer eclipsed Mactier’s new mark shortly after, with the rivals facing off in the final.
In 2005, Mactier became just the third Australian woman to claim a track world title when she grabbed the rainbow jersey in the individual pursuit, before emphatically riding to the Commonwealth crown in front of an adoring home crowd at the 2006 Melbourne Games.
Since retiring after her second Olympic appearance at the 2008 Games in Beijing, Mactier married former professional cyclist Greg Henderson. After living in Spain for a decade, they have recently relocated to the USA with their two children following Greg’s appointment the position of Endurance Performance Director for USA cycling.
Major Achievements
- World Champion 2005 - 3000m IP
- Commonwealth Games champion 2006 - 3000m IP
- Olympic Games silver medallist 2004 - 3000m IP
- World Championships silver 2003 & 2004, bronze 2006, 07, 08 - 3000m IP
- National Champion 2003, 04, 06, 07 - 3000m IP
- Australian Road Champion 2001 & 2007
