Castle of dreams.
The beginnings in triathlon, a childhood spent on the beach and her beloved dog Snoop. Kim Cadzow returns to New Zealand to tell the story of a girl who is chasing her own path.
Published: October 4, 2024
The ocean at sunset, surfing at sunrise, walks on the beach. Often ‘home’ is a feeling. A place to return to when the mind is too crowded with thoughts, when the body is bent over the bike and time is passing too fast. But also when one is struggling and would like to give up, to let go. The thought of that distant world waiting for us is one of those magical keys to unlocking one's limits and overcoming them.
A stone's throw from the ocean.
Kim Cadzow is twenty-two years old and races for EF-Oatly-Cannondale. This summer she took part in the Olympic Games in Paris with the national team and competed on the roads of the Tour de France Femmes. Her story, however, was born seventeen thousand kilometers from the heart of Europe, on an island with paradise-like landscapes that seems created to serve as the backdrop for a fantasy saga.
“The first place I lived as a child was near the beach,” says Kim. “That's why I love to spend my time looking at the ocean. I like swimming and snorkeling. It is crazy to discover how much wonder there is in the underwater world. I love boogie boarding on the waves and looking for crabs on the rocks. And then I have fun making sandcastles with my shovel and bucket, it really takes me back to be a kid."
Surf Life Saving.
“I grew up doing a sport that many Kiwi and Australian children play: Surf Life Saving. This sport incorporates many disciplines such as sand running, sea swimming, canoeing, boarding and pool swimming.”
Surf lifesaving originated in Australia in 1907 in response to drownings on local Sydney beaches. Some groups of volunteers were trained in lifesaving methods to patrol the beaches as lifeguards, taking care of safety. While this was initially a male prerogative, totally female clubs began to form in New Zealand in the 1920s as well.
Today, therefore, it is a competitive but also a social activity. In fact, the athletes who practice it are prepared to face an emergency at sea and thus save lives.
“For us it is something that is part of the culture,” she explains. “We live and grow up on the coast, so it's normal to be passionate about a discipline like this. The sun, the water, the waves; our summers are mostly made up of that and it's great.”
From triathlons to cycling.
Often the most beautiful love stories with cycling blossom out of difficulties. As a teenager Kim took up triathlon but running was her real achilles heel. Constant injuries led her to steer solely toward cycling, and she hasn't wanted to get out of the saddle since she started.
“The first time I came to race in Europe was in 2022,” she says. “I was New Zealand's national U23 time trial champion, and during that season I finished fifth at the Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge.”
It was probably on this occasion that the sparks went off with the legendary ascent - the bald mountain - as they call it. The Giant of Provence runs twenty-two kilometers with an elevation gain of 1,589 meters and an average gradient of 7.2 percent. Not a mountain but a sanctuary, where suffering has an ascetic side. As the name suggests, at the top it can be windy, with the Mistral blowing at speeds that very often exceed 160 kilometers per hour and leaving no room for any trees to grow. Another planet, in short, where cycling has found its natural celebration.
“My favorite climb is Mont Ventoux. It is simply epic. The way you go from trees to bare rock on the way up makes you feel like you've suddenly landed on the moon.”
Life with Snoop.
Since she was sixteen years old, Kim has had a life mission: to care for her Collie Springer Spaniel. What binds them is an intense relationship made up of long moments together, shared emotions and unspoken words... but heard.
“His name is Snoop,” she recounts. “I like walking him, teaching him tricks and enjoying the sun with him. He has been with me for a long time and we are happy together. I love my dog as much as I love my life as a professional cyclist.
I never thought I would make it this far, to compete in the biggest international races but we have to learn a big lesson: Dreams are built and then come true”.