From a salmon farm to EF Education-Cannondale - Kim Cadzow's rapid rise through the pro peloton

Every pathway into professional cycling is different, but few are as unique and as varied as New Zealander Kim Cadzow's, who until just a few years ago was a swimmer-turned-triathlete with a string of side jobs that helped propel her on her European adventure.

The just-turned-22-year-old recently signed with the EF Education-Cannondale team for 2024 and sat down with GCN at the squad’s winter training camp in Girona, Spain to talk about her route into the sport, and her aims in what should be a pivotal year in her budding career.

“Yes, I did work on a salmon fishing farm,” Cadzow says when asked about her range of work experience that helped her raise the funds necessary for her first trip to Europe in 2020.

“I just want to clarify that this has no connection to Jonas Vingegaard, and we’re not salmon fish buddies. It was just one of my first jobs at home and I have a very interesting resume with some interesting jobs on it but I did work on the salmon farm where I caught the fish, filleted the fish and worked as a waitress. I ended up being trained as a sous chef at 17 but I’ve been a lifeguard, a barista, I’ve worked at Domino's, I’ve been a landscaper, and now I’m a professional cyclist."

While her CV might be varied, the reality is that it tells the story of a young athlete who has worked incredibly hard to get to where she is today.

It’s often said, but should always be reinforced, that the hurdles young female athletes face when getting into elite sports are much higher than the ones ahead of their male counterparts. Cadzow explains that her landscaping job, for instance, often left her on the point of exhaustion. She's still close with her boss from the time – he came to see her race in Europe – and she’s applied that same level of commitment and passion to her road racing career. 

“With those jobs, I knew that I wanted to come over to Europe and be a cyclist but I needed to make some money. I was quite lucky because I finished school earlier than I should have done because I took my exams a year early and graduated ahead of schedule. I got my odd jobs, saved my money and came over to Europe. That work helped me pay for my bike, and my travel,” Cadzow says.

“And everyone knows me from triathlon but I only did it for a year and a half and I only did three races. The desire came from doing the New Zealand nationals and a couple of small races and I thought it was amazing. I loved what cycling could bring with all the chaos and variables. It’s not like any other sport.”

Cadzow did have help along the way, most notably from her bike mechanic brother who spent weekends with her in the workshop building up her dream bike ahead of her travels to Europe.

“It was pretty cool to be able to race my first season in Europe on a bike we’d made together. We ordered all the parts so it had loads of cool bits of equipment. We spent plenty of weekends on that bike, putting it together. I learned a lot, so did my brother, and there were plenty of mistakes but it was a great experience to share with him,” she says.

Thrown into the deep end of racing

Cadzow’s first ride in Europe in 2020 came via the Torelli-Cayman Islands-Scimitar squad. She had been introduced to the team via her coach Patrick Harvey, whose daughter, Mikayla, rides for UAE Team ADQ.

“I remember signing the contract and just being over the moon. I’d only done three races before signing so coming over here was a shock to the system,” Cadzow says.

Contract signed and bike packed, Cadzow touched down in London but any assumptions that life on the road would be plain sailing were quickly dashed. Still, her determination shone through, and she took the positives from a new experience.

“In my first year I did four months in Europe. I started off in London and then moved closer to Manchester. It was the wildest time of my life,” she says with a smile.

“We’d travel in a van with no windows from Manchester to Belgium and it would take us close to 14 hours. We’d stay in these F1 hotels, and it was awful in one sense but absolutely amazing in another. For a small-town New Zealander, it was incredible.”

© Velo Collection (TDW) / Getty Images

Kim Cadzow on the front at the Tour de Romandie in 2023

After a spell back home, Cadzow landed a spot on the Jumbo-Visma squad for 2023. This was a major step up for the youngster, and her raw talent and power saw her pick up a number of top-10 rides in WorldTour races. She became a solid domestique, but at the end of the year she and Jumbo-Visma decided to part ways with one year left on her current deal. There were no hard feelings, it seems, the fit just wasn’t quite right.

“I did my first year on Jumbo but I’d signed a deal for two years. We decided though that it wasn’t the best fit for me. I think you need to find a team that really fits so we decided not to go forward for that second year. I’ve come to EF though and I’ve found it pretty amazing,” Cadzow says.

New opportunities at EF Education-Cannondale

Ten days into life at EF and Cadzow seems to be well-immersed with her new surroundings. The team have organised co-ed training sessions with the corresponding men’s team and Cadzow has settled in with her new squad.

• Read more: New team, new philosophy: how EF Education-Cannondale are plotting Tour de France Femmes success

“The atmosphere is just eclectic and everyone is happy to be here. There’s a common understanding with the team and it’s nice to have a group of people around who are working towards a common goal of winning but also having fun. We all got into racing because we enjoyed riding our bikes,” she tells GCN.

2024 will be a huge year for the Cadzow. Her calendar will include a return to the Ardennes for a second season in a row, while she also has a Grand Tour - or two - pencilled into her schedule. She admits that there’s still plenty to learn, which isn’t surprising given her meteoric rise in such a short space of time. 

“My goals are to be more confident on the bike within the peloton,” she says.

“I really want to progress my skills. Obviously having not ridden for as long as others I’m not as competent as some of the other riders. I’d also like to work on my time trial and my power. I want to put that into practice and be in the pointy end of races.”

If her enthusiasm and drive are anything to go by, Cadzow will have a long and prosperous career within the sport. Her rise has been dramatic but when you’re this passionate about cycling and taking on new adventures, almost anything is possible.

“Sometimes, when I look back I can’t really believe how far I’ve come,” she says. “I think it’s happened so fast and at times it’s felt like a blessing and curse but it’s crazy to think that a couple of years ago I didn’t know about this world. Having it as a profession is amazing and I wish I could go back and tell little old me that I’d be living this dream.”

From salmon farmer to world-class bike rider. Cadzow has turned a pretty incredible dream into a reality.