Road To 2012 - Mountain Bike Cross Country
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Road To 2012 is a three year series of features, following the British Cycling Mountain Bike Team on their way to the London Olympic Games. From explaining the qualification process, to selection for the team and coverage of major events, British Cycling will document the entire process, with reaction from the Olympic Coaches and the riders themselves. Introduced to the Olympic schedule in 1996, mountain biking's only Olympic event focusses on the cross-country discipline.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 4
MAY 2012
British Cycling Olympic Academy athlete Annie Last recorded her best cross country result in 2012 and in the process all but qualified the first British woman to the Olympic Games since Sydney 2000 in an historic weekend for the Olympic Performance Programme.
PHIL DIXON: "QUALIFICATION PROCESS FOR 2012 HAS BEEN TOUGH"
MAY 2012
With just one weekend of competition before qualification for the Olympic mountain bike race closes, Britain is almost certainly assured one male and one female position. But British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon has told of the strain of the past four years and how he will not rest easy until the final confirmation is given on May 23.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 3
MAY 2012
Liam Killeen and Annie Last both finished inside the top twenty at the penultimate mountain bike World Cup prior to Olympic qualification closing, in the process almost certainly securing a single Olympic spot in both men's and women's cross country for London 2012.
PHIL DIXON: "HADLEIGH FARM IS EVERYTHING REQUIRED OF A MODERN MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE"
MAY 2012
With Olympic qualification in its final stages, Phil Dixon, British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach has approved the 2012 Olympic mountain bike course at Hadleigh Farm.
PHIL DIXON: "ELIMINATOR WORLD CUP KEY FOR OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION"
APRIL 2012
British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon has hailed Annie Last’s first ever World Cup win in the new UCI Cross Country Eliminator World Cup as an essential factor in qualifying for the Olympic Games – and a trend that will continue.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 2
APRIL 2012
British Cycling Olympic Academy Athlete Annie Last won her first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, besting the Cross Country Eliminator field.
PHIL DIXON: "BACKING UP PERFORMANCES KEY AT HOUFFALIZE"
APRIL 2012
British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon has outlined his ambitions for the second round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Houffalize this weekend as qualification for the Olympic Games enters the conclusive stages.
LIAM KILLEEN: "NEXT MONTH WILL PROVIDE THE ANSWERS"
APRIL 2012
Liam Killeen – two time Olympian and British Cycling Podium Programme athlete – has insisted the next month will provide the answers to the goals he set at the start of the season – including returning to the World Cup podium.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 1
MARCH 2012
British Cycling Olympic Academy Athlete Annie Last reignited her quest to qualify for London 2012 at the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, taking an early lead before finishing ninth.
SOLID AND SAFE RESULTS ESSENTIAL AT WORLD CUP OPENER
MARCH 2012
One week before the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup and the most critical time for Olympic qualification, Phil Dixon, British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach highlighted the need for a solid and safe start to the international season.
LIAM KILLEEN FINDS FORM AT SUNSHINE CUP
FEBRUARY 2012
In his first mountain bike competition of 2012, British Cycling Podium Programme athlete Liam Killeen has found early season form, finishing third behind World Champion Jaroslav Kulhavy at the Sunshine Cup in Cyprus.
LIAM KILLEEN: "I WANT TO BE BACK ON THE WORLD CUP PODIUM"
JANUARY 2012
British Cycling Podium Programme mountain biker Liam Killeen has insisted he wants to be back on the World Cup podium in 2012, but acknowledges it will mean everything coming together for the biggest international races.
LIAM KILLEEN: "I'LL LEARN FROM ATHENS AND BEIJING TO BE AT MY BEST FOR LONDON OLYMPICS"
JANUARY 2012
Liam Killeen – Britain’s most successful cross country mountain biker of the last decade – has spoken of his ambition to return to his best ahead of London 2012 and what that will take.
GRANT FERGUSON LOOKS BACK ON BREAKTHROUGH 2011 SEASON
JANUARY 2012
“It’s been a really long year,” said the rangy 18 year old Scot with a smile. “Towards the end I was getting a bit tired but now I can look back and see – I’m pretty happy – top fives in all the races that I’d targeted.”
MOUNTAIN BIKE OLYMPIC ACADEMY: SHARING THE DREAM
DECEMBER 2011
Annie Last, Kenta Gallagher and Grant Ferguson may all be at different stages of their development as part of British Cycling’s Olympic Academy, but they’re all sharing the same dream.
MBUK FOLLOW ANNIE LAST, KENTA GALLAGHER AND GRANT FERGUSON
DECEMBER 2011
Last month Britain's biggest selling mountain bike magazine - MBUK - visited British Cycling's Olympic Academy for a special insight into what makes a future Olympian.
TALENT TEAM AND OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME TRAINING CAMP
DECEMBER 2011
Following the induction of British Cycling’s Talent Team and Olympic Development Programmes, a series of camps designed to shape pre-season training are already underway. Luke Webber followed coach Stuart Blunt and eleven riders on the first mountain bike session of the season.
BRITISH CYCLING'S OLYMPIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME: A FOUNDATION FOR TODAY'S TALENT
DECEMBER 2011
Annie Last, Jason Kenny and Geraint Thomas – all products of British Cycling’s Olympic Development Academy – and as the class of 2011/12 were inducted, Luke Webber talked to coach Matt Winston on the coming year.
BRITISH CYCLING'S TALENT TEAM: STARTING THE PATHWAY TO ELITE SUCCESS
DECEMBER 2011
British Cycling’s introductory Performance Programme, the Talent Team is the first chance cycling’s aspiring future stars get to pull on a Programme jersey. Following the 2011/12 inductions, Luke Webber speaks to coach Gary Coltman about the role coaches, parents and riders play in the formative years of a cyclist.
ANNIE LAST ON HER CAREER BEST SEASON
NOVEMBER 2011
British cross country champion Annie Last has had her best season to date. At just 20 years old, silver medals at the under-23 World and European Championships and two top ten World Cup finishes make her as the best British women's cross country rider in a decade. And while goals were set at the start of the year, for Last, nothing beats the satisfaction of achieving them.
PHIL DIXON: "APPLICATIONS TO JOIN PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMES BEST EVER"
OCTOBER 2011
Applications to join British Cycling’s Olympic Performance Programmes for mountain biking have been the best ever, thanks to current riders stepping into the limelight according to Phil Dixon.
GRANT FERGUSON: FROM THE BACK TO THE FRONT
OCTOBER 2011
April 2010 and Grant Ferguson’s first junior Mountain Bike World Cup at Dalby Forest. Within moments he’s the last rider on course, fifty meters off the pace. Fast-forward to 2011 however, and Ferguson leads the World Championships. So what led to the transformation of a rider British Cycling’s Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon, described as an “exceptional talent?”
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2011
SEPTEMBER 2011
British Cycling's Olympic Performance Programme has enjoyed a successful mountain bike World Championships one year out from the Olympic Games, securing over 300 Olympic qualification points and two top-five placings.
JOIN THE TEAM: APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR OLYMPIC ACADEMY
SEPTEMBER 2011
British Cycling's Mountain Bike Olympic Academy Programme is now recruiting for a new intake of under-23 cross country riders.
PHIL DIXON: "TODAY WAS GOOD FOR BRITISH MOUNTAIN BIKING"
SEPTEMBER 2011
Phil Dixon, British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach has described day two of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships as "good for British mountain biking" following a second consecutive under-23 World Championship cross country medal for Annie Last and a top-five performance by junior rider Grant Ferguson.
ANNIE LAST: "MY RESULTS CHANGE NOTHING FOR THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUGUST 2011
One race win, a European Championship silver medal and two top-ten World Cup finishes - British Cycling's Annie Last has had a career-defining build up to the mountain bike World Championships. But days away from the year's biggest competition, Last is adamant her string of recent results won't change her approach to racing.
REPORT: ANNIE LAST WINS SWISS CUP MUTTENZ
AUGUST 2011
Days before her challenge for the under-23 World Championship, Annie Last prepared with a win at the Swiss Cup.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 7
AUGUST 2011
In a week when Great Britain moved from 18th to 15th in the women's Olympic qualification rankings, Annie Last took her second top-ten World Cup result in seven days.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 6
AUGUST 2011
The best performance by a British woman in a World Cup and the season-ending injury of Oli Beckingsale were the headlines from round six of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
ANNIE LAST SIXTH AT WORLD CUP
AUGUST 2011
In another historic moment for British cross country mountain biking, Annie Last has scored sixth place at round six of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup - the best international result for a British woman since 2002 and Caroline Alexander.
ANNIE LAST: "JULIE BRESSET IS BEATABLE"
AUGUST 2011
Annie Last is chasing gold. One week on from silver at the European Championships and with thee weeks until the World Championships, Britain's first cross country rainbow jersey is tantalisingly close - but for one rival. Luke Webber asks how it's possible to win and why it would mean so much one year out from London 2012.
BRITAIN MOVE UP IN OLYMPIC RANKINGS
AUGUST 2011
Britain has moved up in both men's and women's rankings as the qualification race for the 2012 Olympic mountain bike race moves into a decisive stage.
FLETCHER RETURNS TO TRAINING
AUGUST 2011
British Cycling Olympic Academy athlete Dave Fletcher has returned to training and wants to come back from injury to race at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships on September 2.
PHIL DIXON REVIEWS BRITAIN'S HISTORIC EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP PERFORMANCE
AUGUST 2011
Two medal performances in one international competition made the 2011 European Championships a landmark moment in British cross country mountain biking. Luke Webber talks to British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon, about the moment and the future of qualification for London 2012.
REPORT: EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUGUST 2011
Annie Last and Grant Ferguson sealed an historic weekend for British cross country racing, scoring two silver medals at the European Championships - the first time the team has won multiple medals at an international championship.
REPORT: HADLEIGH INTERNATIONAL - OLYMPIC TEST EVENT
JULY 2011
The London 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike track faced it's first racing test, as the Olympic favourites came to Hadleigh.
TEAM SELECTION: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
JULY 2011
British Cycling has announced a nine rider team for the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike Cross Country World Championships to take place in Champery, Switzerland, August 31-September 4.
TEAM SELECTION: EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSIHPS
JULY 2011
British Cycling has announced an eight rider team for the 2011 European Cross Country Championships to take place in Dohnany, Slovakia August 4-7.
REPORT: BRITISH MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS
JULY 2011
British Cycling's mountain bike performance programme produced a trio of gold medals at the 2011 British Mountain Bike Championships as Liam Killeen, Annie Last and Kenta Gallagher all took cross country titles and a haul of UCI points which will assist in qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 5
JULY 2011
One week prior to the British Cross Country Mountain Bike Championships, British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Performance Programme picked up more points on its pathway to qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games at round five of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 4
JULY 2011
British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Performance Programme continued its pathway to qualification for the 2012 Olympic Games at round four of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Canada.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 3
MAY 2011
Liam Killeen returned to the top twenty of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Offenburg, Germany, concluding a successful - if unpredictable - race weekend for the British Cycling team as the chase for Olympic qualification resumed.
OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE TEST EVENT TICKETS GO ON SALE
MAY 2011
Tickets for Olympic Test Events have gone on sale today - with BMX and Mountain Biking two of the first events to host a buildup to London 2012. The Mountain Bike event at Hadleigh Farm takes place on 31 July.
OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE HOSTS INTERNTATIONAL TRAINING DAY
MAY 2011
As a prelude to the Olympic Test Event on July 31, Hadleigh Farm hosted its first major gathering of riders on the course, with a total of sixty professionals taking to the five kilometre track, which is entirely man made and optimised for television coverage.
PHIL DIXON CONFIDENT ON BRITISH OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE QUALIFICATION
MAY 2011
British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon, has spoken of his confidence and ambition as year one of the qualification battle for London's Olympic Mountain Bike race comes to an end.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 2
MAY 2011
The race that marked the end of the first year in which to collect Olympic Qualification Points, also produced what British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon described as the team's best performance under his command.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP ROUND 1
APRIL 2011
British Cycling's mountain bike performance programme today faced its stiffest test of 2011 and responded confidently with a marker for the coming season.
PHIL DIXON'S PRESEASON TEAM TALK
APRIL 2011
With the opening round of the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup just days away, British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon, is making final preparations for a season which will likely define the number of British riders on the start line of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE COMPLETE
MARCH 2011
A revolutionary Olympic Mountain Bike course became the latest London 2012 venue to be unveiled to the media as Lord Coe enjoyed an extended tour of a brand new facility at Hadleigh Country Park, close to Southend in Essex.
SELECTION DOCUMENT: 2011 MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS XCO
MARCH 2011
British Cycling have released the selection document for the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships - Cross Country Olympic (XCO). Detailing both selection prerequisites and requirements, the document covers Junior, Under-23 and Elite categories and the Team Relay event, with an express focus on gaining UCI points for Olympic qualification.
MAKING IT TO THE LINE: OLYMPIC QUALIFICATION EXPLAINED
MARCH 2011
Before considering who might represent Team GB at the London Olympics, there's the small matter of actually qualifying riders. Luke Webber examines why every day until May 23 2012 counts, what the process entails and the chances of Britain's first female mountain biker taking to the line in eight years.
OLYMPIC TEST EVENTS: DATES ANNOUNCED
FEBRUARY 2011
LOCOG have announced the full schedule for Olympic Test Events, which not only provide an intitial test of every Olympic venue, but will also be the first chance to see athletes test themselves under Olympic conditions.
BRITISH CYCLING MOUNTAIN BIKE TEAM VISIT LEE QUARRY
FEBRUARY 2011
Riders from the British Cycling mountain bike team, including Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Liam Killeen paid a special visit to Lee Quarry last Saturday.
PHIL DIXON REVIEWS MOUNTAIN BIKE PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME SELECTION
JANUARY 2011
Last month, British Cycling's selections for the 2010/11 Performance Programmes were released. Luke Webber talks exclusively to British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon about the forthcoming year, the role each Programme plays and what it means to be part of the setup.
PHIL DIXON REACTS TO UCI'S PROPOSED CHANGES TO MTB WORLD CUP
JANUARY 2011
British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon has reacted favourably to proposed changes by the UCI to the Olympic Cross Country discipline.
TALKING HEADS: ODP MOUNTAIN BIKERS GET TASTE FOR ACADEMY
DECEMBER 2010
One week before the winter holidays, British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach, Phil Dixon, invited Olympic Development Programme riders to spend one week training with the Olympic Academy.
MCQUAID WEIGHS IN ON MOUNTAIN BIKING'S OLYMPIC FUTURE
DECEMBER 2010
President of the UCI Pat McQuaid has reiterated the importance London's 2012 mountain bike race will play, when considering the future of the sports Olympic status.
BRITISH CYCLING PERFORMANCE PROGRAMMES SEELCTION
FOR MTB CROSS COUNTRY 2010/11
NOVEMBER 2010
Details of riders on the British Cycling Performance Programmes for mountain bike cross country - including Talent Team, Olympic Development Programme, Olympic Academy and Olympic Podium Programme - in 2010/11.
DISPELLING THE OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE VENUE MYTHS
NOVEMBER 2010
Following the recent unveiling of the Olympic mountain bike venue, British Cycling's Mountain Bike Editor Luke Webber deconstructs the myths surrounding Britain's biggest ever mountain bike race and looks at why Hadleigh Farm was chosen as the 2012 mountain biking venue.
MARTYN SALT: THE ESSENTIAL OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE MANAGER
NOVEMBER 2010
Luke Webber talks exclusively to Olympic Mountain Bike Manager Martyn Salt and Olympic Cycling Manager Simon Lillistone about the biggest cross country race to take place in Britain.
OLYMPIC MOUNTAIN BIKE COURSE UNVEILED
NOVEMBER 2010
Following fourteen weeks of ground-works, the venue for the London 2012 Olympic Mountain Bike Race has been unveiled. Hadleigh Farm, near Basildon, Essex, was launched by the London Organising Commitee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG), Essex Council and the Salvation Army.
PART 5: SEASON REVIEW
OCTOBER 2010
With the selection of riders to British Cycling's Performance Programs less than a month away, Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon runs through the 2010 season of the British Mountain Bike Team.
REPORT: UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 2010
SEPTEMBER 2010
Marking the halfway point on the road to 2012, the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships was a breakthrough for the British Cycling team, with standout results in every category.
NEWS: BRITISH TEAM SELECTED FOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
AUGUST 2010
British Cycling has today announced the team who will represent Great Britain at the forthcoming UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Mont-Saint-Anne, Canada, taking place on 31 August - 5 September 2010.
REPORT: 2010 EUROPEAN MOUNTAIN BIKE CHAMPIONSHIPS
JULY 2010
Annie Last finished fourth and Lily Matthews eighth in the European Mountain Bike Championships. Racing in the under-23 category, riders tackled the Haifa course in seering 36-degree heat. We have news from British Cycling's Olympic Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon.
REPORT: 2010 UCI MOUNTAIN BIKE WORLD CUP XCO R1
APRIL 2010
All the reports from the first World Cup on English soil in a decade.
NEWS: BRITISH RIDERS MAKE FINAL DALBY PREPARATIONS
APRIL 2010
With the countdown already in full swing for the opening round of the 2010 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, we managed to capture a few passing shots of British riders Lily Matthews, Dave Fletcher and Annie Last, who were making their final preparations under the watchful eye of Olympic Programme Coach Phil Dixon.
NEWS: KILLEEN TO RACE BRITISH XC SERIES OPENER
APRIL 2010
Liam Killeen is down on the start list for the opening round of the British XC Series, which takes place next Sunday at Sherwood Pines, Nottingham. It's Killeen's first race of 2010 and the first news we've had of the British Champion and Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist since winter.
PART FOUR: DAYS IN THE LIFE OF THE ACADEMY
FEBRUARY 2010
With unprecedented and exclusive access to British Cycling's highest tier of athlete development, Luke Webber reveals the lifestyles of Dave Fletcher, Annie Last and Lily Matthews in a typical week at the Olympic Academy.
KILLEEN: BACK IN 2010 <br /&
