MTB Events

Meet the Women of the British Squad for the 2014 UCI MTB World Championships

Meet the Team GB Squad for the 2014 UCI MTB World Championships, and get ready to cheer this weekend!

Hafjell looking moody and beautiful. Image copyright Sven Martin

From the 2nd to the 7th of September, the créme de la créme of mountain bikers from around the world will head to Hafjell in Norway for the UCI MTB World Championships.

Many of these riders will have been racing all season in the World Cup series, but this time they’ll be racing on their national teams. This means that you’ll see teammates competing against each other, former competitors united by nationality, and some downright brilliant racing.

Watch the action live on Red Bull TV

If you fancy watching, you can tune in and catch the action live courtesy of Red Bull TV.

Schedule:

Tuesday 2nd September
Cross Country Eliminator – 4.50 to 6.15pm

Saturday 6th September
Cross Country Women’s Finals – 10.50am to 1.00pm
Cross Country Men’s Finals – 1.20 to 3.30pm

Sunday 7th September
Downhill MTB Finals – 11.05am to 3.00pm

The Women of the 2014 UCI MTB World Championships

Annie Last
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: Elite Women

The name Annie Last may be familiar to you as the Team GB athlete that competed in the MTB event in the London 2012 Olympics.

A stress fracture to her back put her out of action and off the radar for over a year and a half, and she only made her return to racing in the summer, near the end of the 2014 season.

However, it looks like she has come back in excellent form. In her second race back, the World Cup season finale in Meribel, she fought her way up from a starting position of 47 to place 13th overall, and took 4th place at the Commonwealth Games XC event. This bodes well for Hafjell!

Beth Crumpton
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: U23 Women

Part of the British Cycling Olympic Training Academy, alongside fellow World Champ teammate Alice Barnes, Beth Crumpton has experienced a mixed season so far. Two crashes, a the World Cup in Nove Mesto and at the European Championships, interrupted her training. However, a top 10 position at the Commonwealth Games shows what she can do, and she has stated she is in good form and looking forward to the World Champs.

Alice Barnes
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: U23 Women

Another member of the British Cycling Olympic Training Academy, Alice Barnes has also had difficult season. A broken collar bone in February was not the most auspicious start, but she has progressed strongly and steadily, with a 6th place on the difficult World Cup track at Windham, USA, and 5th place at the Commonwealth Games this year just behind Annie Last.

Evie Richards
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: Junior Women

A member of Malvern Cycle Sport, Evie has had a great season, winning several rounds of the British Cycling National XC series, and placing 2nd in the XC National Championships in the Junior Category.

Ffion James
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: Junior Women

16 year old Ffion James, a member of the Abergavenny Road Club, is set to take on the challenge at Hafjell alongside her teammates.

The younger sister of well-known cyclist Becky James, Ffion is a rising star in the world of cycling in her own right. In January she took 3rd place in the National Cyclo-Cross Championships, against two world class elite riders. She is ranked 50th in the world in the Junior Women category.

Isla Short
Team: GB Cross Country (XC)
Level: Junior Women

The final member of the Junior Women XC Squad, Isla Short, is currently placed 16th internationally on the UCI Junior Women’s XC rankings, and is the British Junior National XC Champion, with teammates Evie Richards in 2nd and Ffion James in 3rd behind her.

She has placed consistently in the top ten in the UCI XC Junior World Cup series, and took a fantastic 6th place in the European Championships.

Isla Short. Image copyright British Cycling

Rachel Atherton
Team: GB Downhill (DH)
Level: Elite Women

Rachel Atherton, the defending World Champion, needs little introduction. A racer who has been at the top of her game for years, a shaky start to the season as a result of illness knocked her back in points but a strong finish makes for exciting racing at Hafjell. Expect her to defend the title with tooth, claw, and all the considerable technical skills she possesses.

Manon Carpenter
Team: GB Downhill (DH)
Level: Elite Women

Manon Carpenter has had a phenomenal season. Having spent a lot of time on the 2nd spot of the World Cup podium in 2013, this year brought with it a hope of a win or two. Manon didn’t just win 1 or 2 races this year: she took the overall World Cup Champion crown from Rachel. Can she take the World Championships too?

Manon Carpenter

Tahnee Seagrave
Team: GB Downhill (DH)
Level: Elite Women

For Tahnee Seagrave, 2014 meant her first foray into racing in the Elite Category. There was a lot of expectation on her shoulders as she took the Junior World Champion title in 2013, and happily that was more than rewarded with 4 podiums for the young racer. Currently ranked 6th in the world, can she pull out another podium worthy performance for Hafjell.