From 'serendipitous start' at Tour de Georgia to in-depth interviews and investigative work across 20 years, Kirsten Frattini becomes first female Editor of Cyclingnews

Kirsten Frattini moved into the role as Editor of Cyclingnews in December 2025, becoming the first female editor in the now 31-year history of the most prominent global news website for the sport of cycling.

Her career at Cyclingnews started in 2006 as a race correspondent, covering the fourth edition of the Tour de Georgia, a US UCI stage race in April that attracted major media around the world.

Based in Canada, Frattini made the trip to the southern US for the week and then slotted into a permanent position that has lasted 20 years. She has served in roles as a production editor, women's editor and deputy editor and now leads a team of journalists based on three continents for 24/7 comprehensive coverage of road, track, cyclo-cross, mountain bike and gravel disciplines.

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I first met Frattini when I served as the Director of Communications for the Tour de Georgia, assisting her requests for media interviews at each race finish. Now I have the pleasure of still assisting her, but this time on the same 'team'.

For International Women's Day, Frattini took a trip down memory lane to reflect on the races she enjoyed covering the most, on the in-depth features she thought had the most impact for readers and which of the many personalities in the sport provided compelling interviews.

CN: When you started work at Cyclingnews as a correspondent in 2006, what were some of your first assignments?

Kirsten Frattini: Looking back at the start of my sports journalism career with Cyclingnews still feels serendipitous. To preface, if you want to learn more about the history of Cyclingnews, please take the time to read about Bill's Excellent Adventure, which dates back to its launch in 1995. But when I joined in 2006, this publication was owned by Knapp Communications in Australia. Kristy Scrymgeour was about to transition away from journalism to start what would become a highly successful journey managing the most well-known women's and men's teams in the United States – T-Mobile, HTC-Highroad, and Specialized-Lululemon, which we know today as Canyon-SRAM zondacrypto.

She called me and asked if I would be interested in a reporting project at the Tour de Georgia that April with reporter Mark Zalewski and photographer Jonathan Devich. The three of us, alongside Getty Images' Doug Pensinger, captured the biggest storylines and breathtaking photography from the six-day race from its start in southern Georgia in Augusta to the summit of Brasstown Bald and into Alpharetta. To this day, it is one of the most memorable points of my career.

It led to becoming a full-time racing correspondent at upwards of 100 event days a year that included the Redlands Bicycle Classic, Tour of California, Tour of the Gila, Montreal World Cup, US Pro Championships and Liberty Classic in Philadelphia, USA Pro Cycling Challenge in Colorado, Nature Valley Grand Prix, Tour de Toona, Tour de Beauce, Tour of Missouri, Tour of Alberta and the Grands Prix Cyclistes de Québec and Montréal, and everything in between, including many of the biggest criteriums at Merced, Athens Twilight, Tour of Somerville, Clarendon Cup, Gastown Grand Prix and Downers' Grove.

And when the spring and summer racing seasons came to an end, I followed the cyclocross trail from the north in New England and down through the mid-Atlantic.

And the rest is history!

CN: Before you moved into a full-time role, what do you recall as some of the most important news stories to cover?

KF: Some of the most essential parts of journalism involve investigating and uncovering stories, bringing readers beyond the surface-level excitement that sport offers fans, and pushing beyond the boundaries of racing into cycling's deeper ethical concerns, of which there have been many.

We can think back to Cyclingnews' reporting on Operación Puerto, which began in 2006, or to my own reporting on Tyler Hamilton's cycling career ending after a positive doping test in 2009. Our editorial team's comprehensive reporting of Lance Armstrong's career and downfall, his return to cycling in 2009, was followed by the USADA's reasoned decision and the stripping of his seven Tour de France titles and lifetime ban in 2012. The aftermath included the subsequent Cycling Independent Reform Commission, the broader history of organised doping in cycling, and recommendations for the future. That's to name but a few of the sport's major cases over the last 20 years.

When I look back at my own broad-range investigative work, the story that has impacted me the most was about French-Canadian cyclist Genevieve Jeanson, who was one of the most controversial figures to have come out of cycling after she confessed in 2007 to using erythropoietin during most of her career, beginning as a teenager in 1998 and through her early 20s until 2005. She was subsequently issued a reduced 10-year ban for cooperating with an investigation conducted by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport into her allegedly abusive coach, Andre Aubut, and Montreal-based physician Maurice Duquette.

Jeanson sat down to speak with me in 2015, not long after I had moved into a full-time production editor's role at Cyclingnews. It was her first English-speaking interview since her doping revelations. During our discussion, she opened up about her relationship with Aubut and made serious allegations, prompting me to investigate further. The process of establishing facts involved extensive research over 10 weeks, examining the history of Jeanson's and Aubut's coach-athlete relationship, and their subsequent marriage, their respective doping suspensions, following up with key sources and gathering statements to substantiate Jeanson's allegations of abuse.

Jeanson's story dug deep into the fundamentals of ethics in sport concerning doping, abuse, and a disturbing coach-athlete relationship, as well as the broader systems in place to protect athletes. Her story pushed me to consider my responsibilities as a journalist and its importance to the public, highlighting how the sporting system's treatment of young athletes was often unchecked and almost normalized, not just during her time, but even today.

Kirsten Frattini

Starting as a race correspondent, Frattini moved into the role as Editor of Cyclingnews as the 2026 cycling season began

CN: Do you have a few favourite interviews? Tell us about a couple and why they were memorable.

KF: I enjoy learning about the figures in our sport, from those who work from behind the scenes, to wider structures and organisations, innovators, trailblazers and high-profile athletes, diving into an in-depth interview to find out what makes them who they are and why they do what they do best. I've been able to interview the likes of Biniam Girmay, Marion Rousse, Marianne Vos, Kristen Worley, Peter Sagan, Amina Lanaya, Kristin Armstrong, Lizzie Deignan, Bonnie Tu, Annemiek van Vleuten, Ayesha McGowan, Remco Evenepoel, Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney and Tadej Pogačar, and so many more captivating personalities in cycling.

It's also important to me to learn and write about people and stories that move us and change our perspectives. I'm grateful for our discussion with decorated Paralympian Megan Fisher and her message to the cycling community - "We are all more capable than we know".

I'm moved by stories that explore topics beyond our sport and delve into worldwide impacts. One of the most harrowing recounts of bravery I have had the privilege to hear was from Nobel Peace Prize nominee and cyclist Rukhsar Habibzai about her journey of survival out of Afghanistan.

I'm proudest of our work to uncover abuse in cycling through our investigating and reporting of the horrific testimony of survivors while also exposing the flaws in the system and holding those persons, institutions and organisations in power accountable.

CN: You became the Women's Editor in 2018. With a dedicated eye for women in the peloton, how have you seen the content strategy provide growth in this area for the sport?

KF: The body of work that has been my most significant contribution to cycling journalism is reporting on women's cycling for more than two decades and watching that translate into a continually growing, dedicated audience.

The consistent, strong coverage of international women's races, engaging features, interviews, and news, supported by a dedicated budget and team of writers, has also seen one of the most important growth areas for Cyclingnews, which saw peak audience figures at the 2022 Tour de France Femmes, followed by steady growth across all women's racing content.

The last five years alone have represented significant change in the growth and professionalism of women's cycling on the whole, with the introduction of minimum salaries for women racing with top-tier teams, maternity leave, mandatory live television for Women's WorldTour events, which boasted greater access and visibility to not only the sport but also brands, teams and high-profile athletes who have captivated audience with their unique stories.

Live television-streaming coverage was one of the biggest game-changers in women's cycling, bringing our sport to larger, consistently growing audiences by increasing visibility and giving riders, teams, and races a platform to showcase a dynamic sport and its sponsors.

CN: You've reported on some of the biggest events in cycling. What have been the most special milestones that you have covered?

KF: Reporting from some of the most popular races in our sport will always feel rewarding because it is an opportunity for journalists to capture exclusive content, breaking news and colour stories that can only be achieved by being at the races.

Personally, I will always be grateful to have been a sports journalist during this time of professional cycling, covering the historical moments of the first women's Paris-Roubaix in 2021, the rebirth of the women's Tour de France in 2022, and the UCI Road World Championships held in Africa in 2025.

These were landmark moments that will undoubtedly be remembered as part of the steps toward the long-awaited promise of a global sport for everyone. It's been a privilege to be a part of a push for progress (big and small) throughout the years.

CN: What is most rewarding for you about your long career at Cyclingnews?

KF: My sports journalism career at Cyclingnews has spanned many roles throughout the last 20 years - everything from on-ground reporting, to creating and producing wide-ranging stories and a content strategy that includes event coverage, racing and news reporting, investigative and premium member-exclusive content, newsletters, while also diving into website data entry and analysis, and contributing to the development of new digital touchpoints. It's been a real journey to have been part of the evolution of Cyclingnews.

The most rewarding part of my career with Cyclingnews is working and growing with a truly dedicated and inspiring team of reporters, writers and editors. Together, we have cultivated a communicative, collaborative, and creative editorial environment that empowers teams to feel confident and comfortable contributing ideas and feedback across racing, news, features, premium, and tech sections - easier said than done when we consider that Cyclingnews is a 24/7 operation with an international team across the UK, Europe, North America, and Australia.

I'm continually learn from the brilliant, creative and hard-working people I work alongside daily - Laura Weislo, Josh Croxton, Matilda Price, Jackie Tyson, Simone Giuliani, Alasdair Fotheringham, Dani Ostanek, James Moultrie, Patrick Fletcher, Will Jones, Tom Wieckowski, Stephen Farrand, Graham Cottingham and Pete Trifunovic.

CN: You are now overseeing editorial operations and output across the brand to deliver quality, engaging content, as well as audience and subscription growth. What would you like to achieve in the next few years for Cyclingnews?

KF: Bill Mitchell changed cycling reporting forever when he created Cyclingnews in 1995. Since then, its succeeding editors and people I have had the pleasure to work with over the years - Gerard Knapp (publisher) and Jeff Jones, Daniel Benson, and Peter Stuart - have transformed it into what it is today through their unique editorial guidance and a dedicated team.

I'm honoured to follow in their footsteps, and I'm looking forward to building on our foundations, continuing our brand's growth. We want to continue to offer our readers world-class reporting from the biggest women's and men's races in the sport, leading news coverage, captivating in-depth features and analysis, informative tech reviews and commentary. We are also aiming to drive best-in-class member exclusives and user experiences not only on our website but also off-platform in the wider world of digital media.