Classics expert Katia Ragusa has extended her contract with Human Powered Health Cycling through 2026.
The 2023 Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift runner-up will continue to play a large role in the Classics squad as well as being a reliable teammate in stage races.
“I feel really comfortable in this team,” said the 26-year-old. “I’m happy that I can continue to show my role in the team and I have found a great atmosphere that encourages you to stay relaxed and focus on what you have to do to achieve your full performance potential.”
Ragusa displayed her class in the early part of the season, taking overall victory in the mountains standings of the Tour Down Under before being an integral part of the Classics squad.
“The first part of the season with the team was amazing,” Ragusa said. “From the winter, when I came in for the first time at the training camp I had the feeling I was already part of the team from the riders and also by all the staff. We immediately found a way to race as a team and I’ve never found this atmosphere before so it’s the perfect place for me.”
A nine-year professional cyclist, Ragusa knows how to make it at the top level and feels a strong kinship with Human Powered Health’s Pillars of Performance – movement, fuel, mindset and recovery.
“The Pillars of Performance mean a lot to me every day, especially recovery, something I have learned more about this season,” she says. “I’ve never really found a team that cares about all these aspects, and so it’s special because we are not only athletes, we are also people.”
The pillars permeate every aspect of Ragusa’s training, her favorite being movement as she enjoys staying fit and active on and off the bike.
“With fuel, we have our dietician Erica [Lombardi] who helps us balance a healthy intake,” she explains. “Then getting that extra support from Thorne and their supplements means my intake has never been better. The team also focuses a lot on mindset. It’s never easy to find this in a team so I appreciate all the support we get from staff and our sports psychologist [Dr. Alexandra Wagener].”
Post-Classics, Ragusa will now refocus on stage races where her experience is vital and quality in the hills will show.
