18-year-old Cat Ferguson set for Paris-Roubaix debut in first pro year

Double junior world champion Cat Ferguson is set to become one of the youngest competitors ever at Paris-Roubaix this April.

The 18-year-old is down to make her debut at the cobbled Monument, as part of her stacked road calendar this season, which opens at this month’s Milan-San Remo.

Revealing her programme to Cycling Weekly, Ferguson said she’s expecting a “big jump” in her first full year as a pro.

“It’s crazy,” the Movistar rider said. “I think it’s incredible to just be in the position I am, but to be doing a race like Roubaix, I can’t tell you how excited I am to be able to do that race.

“Also, Carys [Lloyd, Movistar] and Imogen [Wolff, Visma-Lease a Bike] are doing the race, so for the three of us to do a race like that in our first year as a pro together is really special. We’ve come through the ranks from under-14s and we’re now doing Paris-Roubaix at 18-years-old together. It’s going to be incredible. Hopefully I can make it to the velodrome – that’s my aim.”

Ferguson impressed the cycling world last autumn when she won two of her first four pro races, riding as a pre-contract stagiaire for Movistar. She also claimed both the junior road race and time trial titles at the UCI World Championships, becoming the first rider to complete the double since Zoe Bäckstedt in 2022.

Having raced cyclo-cross through the winter months, Ferguson’s road debut this year is set for Milan-San Remo, the inaugural edition for women, on 22 March. “We don’t know the route yet, it’s not actually released, but it’s probably the longest race of the year,” she said, adding with a laugh: “I’m not feeling fit enough yet to want to know how long it is.”

The 18-year-old’s programme will then see her compete in a string of one-day Classics, including Gent-Wevelgem, Flèche Wallone, and Brabantse Pijl, before turning to stage races in Spain, and the Lloyds Tour of Britain.

“I’m really looking forward to the Tour of Britain,” she said. “I don’t know the route for that, but I’m hoping there’s [a stage] in Yorkshire. Getting some friends and family out to watch would be really special. And it’s the only [WorldTour] race that there is for women in Britain, so I’m excited for it.”

Ferguson's programme for the latter half of the year is yet to be decided, but she said she feels “lucky” to be given such opportunities over the next few months.

“It’s a balance of wanting to push me and show me what the level is, with races like Roubaix, but also not absolutely hammering me and doing all the big races,” she said of her calendar. “It’s also a nice balance that I will do some smaller races, where hopefully I can be a little bit more at the front, or survive for a little bit longer.”

Paris-Roubaix Femmes will take place on 12 April, two weeks before Ferguson’s 19th birthday.