Katie Toft

It’s World Cerebral Palsy Day and this year, the focus is on helping those with CP to #makeyourmark. Today, the global movement is encouraging people with cerebral palsy, their families and supporters to share their achievements and to promote the changes they are advocating in society. So, what better way to celebrate how people with cerebral palsy have mastered dealing with change, breaking down barriers, and coming up with creative solutions, than speaking to five-time C1 World Champion, Katie Toft.

Why Can’t We caught up with the British para-cyclist to discuss coming to terms with having a disability, her journey to success and her experiences of competing at some of the highest levels:

1. Tell us more about yourself and how you got into the sport?

Hi, I’m Katie and I’m from Derbyshire. I first learnt to ride a bike as part of my physio to try and strengthen my legs and it was during University that I wanted to learn to ride a bike again. My dad reminded me of a charity called Stockport CP (now named Supportability) as I used to do their sports sessions. I did all sorts of sports from rock-climbing to skiing and snowboarding after school on a Thursday, and they now run a wheelers group. I went along to the wheelers group, and after a while, I started to race the other people there and beat them. It was there I started to race for Mossley CRT who taught me race craft. Barney Storey started to coach me and I gained the support of the Derbyshire Institute of Sport, so I began practising and practising with cyclists from my village. It has just grown from there really.

2. There are several classifications in para-cycling, which one do you compete in?

I’m currently a C1. in Para-cycling. C1 is generally for individuals with a physical disability or visual impairment.

3. Can you tell us more about your journey to race at an international level?

In 2013, British Cycling put on an International Track Cycling event in Newport in Wales and I won a silver medal in the C3 IP. From there, I was encouraged to ride in a Road World Cup. In 2017 my category was changed to C1 which transformed things for me and I began racing against people with a similar level of disability rather than people who are technically ‘more able’.

4. You won Gold in Rio in the Women’s C1 3000m Individual Pursuit. I can imagine that was surreal! How did you find the whole World Championship experience?

Going to Rio was amazing. I had never experienced anything like it before. Thinking about the actual night I won, I just smiled because it was just so surreal. I really think the pictures say it all. I focused so hard and we had been working on my stability on the track so that and my timing splits were the main targets. I can remember bits of the race, but it was the warm down that I remember most. My parents flew out to watch and I remember looking at them, and we just couldn’t believe what had happened. It was a very special night.

5. You are a 5 x World Champion which is just INCREDIBLE! Based on your experience, how does this impact your preparation for a new season?

I don’t think it does as it’s always a new season for me, and it is important to train well through winter, particularly at the moment. I have the experience of what I did in the winters before winning the world titles so this probably helps me give feedback to my coach and help him to tailor my training even more. Every season provides a new opportunity to improve and because I enjoy winter training, my motivation is always high and if the weather is bad I just adapt my training sessions.

6. You are part of the Storey Racing team, can you tell us more about this all-female team?

I love being part of Storey Racing! The team is made up of Youth, Junior, U23, Senior and Para-cycling riders, racing across disciplines including track, time trial, road race and cyclo-cross. The team mantra is #BestVersionOfYou, and with the support of Sarah and Barney Storey, each rider is given the opportunity to race and develop into the best rider they can be, with the goal that many will go on to race at international level.

7. You recently wrote a blog post for Supportability in which you were extremely honest about your experience of living with cerebral palsy. How has your mindset towards your disability changed over the years?

A lot of people think I’ve been wrapped up in cotton wool, but that really isn’t the case. My parents have always pushed me and whilst I’m aware that my disability can bring limitations, it doesn’t always have to be limiting. Everyone is different, even in the world of disability and particularly CP, so it’s important to acknowledge that everyone has different challenges. For example, you might see a person walking but the next minute they could be using a wheelchair, or like me riding a bike. It is possible to do all three. I can walk but I need a wheelchair for any distance because I use cycling for physio and now for sport. The balance of the three works for me alongside lots of physio. It’s just my life. The best way to approach disability is to look at it as a circumstance. The person and their ambitions come first, the challenge of disability is something that can be adapted to differently according to personality and the situation you find yourself in.

8. Do you think the media has an impact on disability sports?

I really wish we got more coverage, and it does filter through sometimes, but disability sport has so much potential in the UK and there’s certainly an ‘appetite’ for it too. Every four years we have the games and both adults and children watch both the Olympic and Paralympic games equally. I know the media people in the NGBs work really hard; tweeting and sharing performances, and funnily enough, my family found out about my World Titles through text message and tweets as my parents couldn’t travel and the race wasn’t broadcast or mentioned on the news. Ultimately, it will always be cited that financial implications affect the publicity of events and that is a vicious circle. Unless publicity is created, there’s no way to generate the income to pay for the coverage. Women’s sports & parasport are on a similar journey, so we need to see a greater level of investment in the coverage of both so that equal opportunities for publicity can be reached and enable these sports to be self-sufficient from a finance perspective.

9. How did training continue during lockdown and how has COVID impacted your season? Are you looking forward to getting back into the swing of things in 2021?

If I’m honest, things didn’t change too much. Obviously, there weren’t any gym or track sessions, but in the UK, we were very lucky to be able to get out and enjoy exercise once a day. I chose to ride my bike, I rode familiar roads, not leaving my area, so not taking any risks. It might sound boring to ride the same roads but I rode the opposite direction or used lanes that I know well but don’t ride every week. The good news is there were more hills than I thought, so that really changed things up! There are also plenty of online training platforms to take advantage of which has been important for a lot of people across the world.

10. What do you love most about competing in para-cycling and what are your hopes for the future?

For me, cycling has given me the speed and freedom, as well as providing me with the chance to move at a speed under my own steam. Racing brings everything you’ve done on and off the bike together, and for somebody with my disability, it’s like a ballet when things go to plan, it’s beautiful. When things don’t go to plan, well...it can get messy. It’s no secret I’d love to race at the Paralympics Games, and that is something that I continue to build towards.

Katie is definitely one talented woman and I do not doubt that we will be seeing more of her in years to come.

If you would like to find out more about Katie and to keep up to date with all her latest achievements, be sure to follow her on Twitter.

A big thank you to CP Teens and CP Sport for this interview as well.