Caroline Buchanan Quotes

BMX is never over until the finish line, and I am always trying to challenge myself for that world stage.

- Caroline Buchanan

When I compete, I love a huge crowd, expectation, pressure, and I like to have nerves: the butterflies flying and my hands shaking. This way, I am completely amped, focused, and ready; otherwise, I tend to be to relaxed, content, and don't perform at my maximal potential.

- Caroline Buchanan

Mum and dad would drive me to the ACT Academy of Sport gym at 5 A.M., sit in the car and read a book, and then drive me to school. I appreciated it when I was younger, but I didn't really understand how much they were putting into it. Now I look at budgets of $70,000 to compete, and I think, 'Wow, they've put so much into this.'

- Caroline Buchanan

I truly believe that it's all of the hard times that make you step up to the next level, and that's what makes you a champion.

- Caroline Buchanan

It's an honour to be a world champion, and it can never be taken away from you.

- Caroline Buchanan

I've always been a bit of a daredevil, even as a little girl with a pretty high pain tolerance and things like that.

- Caroline Buchanan

It would be simpler going to an Olympic Games knowing you had to nail one trick that you've done a hundred times, and if you do it, you'll win. Or if you're a swimmer, if you swim a certain time, you will win. In BMX, there are no guarantees.

- Caroline Buchanan

I've always been very competitive - that runs in our family. I'd always try to beat my brother. I'd race the boys and wanted to beat them. They toughened me up. They didn't treat me like a girl.

- Caroline Buchanan

In BMX, you need an inner mongrel, something that's a point of difference in the female category.

- Caroline Buchanan

I am just this small-town Canberra girl that's taken riding a little kid's bike on dirt tracks to the highest level.

- Caroline Buchanan

I definitely thrive off adversity. I know it's always up from there.

- Caroline Buchanan

You learn a lot from your first Olympic Games experience. Everyone thinks they're prepared, but you never are.

- Caroline Buchanan

The biggest thing I've learnt is not to limit myself by the norm or what I should be doing.

- Caroline Buchanan

There's so many levels. You can rise on the day to win a national event or a world title but the level you need to rise to win an Olympics Games is another one altogether.

- Caroline Buchanan

The mistakes you make and lessons you learn at a young age are what gets you to an Olympic level.

- Caroline Buchanan

BMX is still a young sport in Olympic terms. So the sport science behind it is also relatively new. As a program, it's only going to get better as the sport gets bigger and more extreme.

- Caroline Buchanan

One medal. One shot. One lap. Eight riders. No lanes. No right of way. Just go.

- Caroline Buchanan

I think, in BMX, it's a lot like horse racing. I wouldn't really bet on it.

- Caroline Buchanan

I'm made to ride a bike, not do washing.

- Caroline Buchanan

Any race, I'm always going for the top step on the podium.

- Caroline Buchanan

I started racing BMX when I was five years old. I followed in my brother's footsteps, and I was a little tomboy. When I came into the sport, there wasn't many women. I raced with the boys; I looked up to the boys, and all my mentors were boys.

- Caroline Buchanan

You never hold back. If I turn up to the track and feel cautious or not committed, I turn around and go home. If you don't have that full commitment when you're pedaling into a 40-foot jump, there's not much room for error, and you'll come off worse.

- Caroline Buchanan

The majority of the time, I'm just in my team training clothes or work-out gear, but whenever I'm killing time, I always like to watch 'Project Runway' or 'America's Next Top Model.'

- Caroline Buchanan

You can't take my batteries out; I'm always on the go.

- Caroline Buchanan

I really want to win a medal and would want to win gold. It's my fire and fuel, life and dream, everything.

- Caroline Buchanan

I just want kids to have a chance to go and try an Olympic sport. Every kid has a bike - that's how I started, and one kid coming along and giving it a go could make that journey to the Olympics.

- Caroline Buchanan

At the end of the day, I'm riding a little kid's bike around a track; that's what I've done for as long as I can remember. Now it's just on a bigger stage at the Olympics.

- Caroline Buchanan

I've got to know my strength and weaknesses and the same for my competitors.

- Caroline Buchanan

I get called Pink quite a lot. The Pink of the Action Sport World. Or Queen of the Dirt - some call me that.

- Caroline Buchanan

I quickly realised that there is no 'I' in team. So I am so fortunate to have a supportive family that has been there for me since day one.

- Caroline Buchanan

If I had to work a 9 A.M. to 5 P.M. job in the public service, I'd freak out.

- Caroline Buchanan

There were times when I was down and frustrated being in a male-dominated sport: you don't get the support. It affected me. Layne Beachley helped me beat that. That was the difference for me and helped get me through.

- Caroline Buchanan

I like pressure. Diamonds are made under pressure, and I definitely enjoy it.

- Caroline Buchanan

I'd love to be able to dominate cycling in general, not just one event.

- Caroline Buchanan

Any race I go into, I've always got the attitude of throwing myself into and wanting nothing but No. 1.

- Caroline Buchanan

A female professional athlete has to have the whole package, as opposed to a guy who can just be good at sport. You have to have a job or go to uni or do three sports instead of one, you have to be a standout.

- Caroline Buchanan

You have got to act on instinct; you've got to ride from your heart and let that performer come out. You can't over-think it too much because if you're thinking, the race is already over.

- Caroline Buchanan