Annie Last hopes to continue improvements at UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

Annie Last hopes to continue improvements at UCI Mountain Bike World Championships

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Great Britain’s Annie Last hopes to continue the improvements that she has made since returning from injury late in the 2014 season and is enjoying her racing ahead of the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Norway.

The 23-year-old was out of action for much of 2013 and 2014 due to a persistent back injury but since her return to racing in July, the British champion has shown signs that she’s close to a complete return to form.

"I’m really looking forward to the world championships,” said Last.

"I had a really extended period not being able to race so for me at the minute I'm really enjoying being able to be back racing my bike again,” continued the rider, whose return to international competition was began with an excellent fourth place at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

"I'm really enjoying it and with every race I do I'm looking forward to the next one and to be able to move on more and go faster, push myself more and move up through the field.”

Last’s optimism ahead of the elite women’s race in Hafjell is heightened by promising results in the last three rounds of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

In the back-to-back world cup events in Canada, USA and France, the rider took 11th and a brace of 13th places, despite grid positions that left her fighting her way through the backmarkers in the opening laps.

Last’s 13th place at the final round in Meribel came from a grid position on 47th, the rider losing two minutes on the leaders in the first lap after being held up behind a crash.

“I'm hoping that I'll be able to improve on my performance in France and hopefully move up through the field a bit more and come out with the good result."

Her extended absence from competition meant that Last missed the final round of the 2013 world cup in Hafjell, which acted as the test event for the 2014 worlds, losing the opportunity to get early intelligence on the course she will face on Saturday.

"I don't know what the course is going to be like yet,” she admitted. “I watched the race online last year but I think there have been quite a few changes made to it.

“Starting towards the back, the course has quite a big impact on how the race goes,” Last continued, who is likely to start in the 40s on the grid, which is ordered according to current UCI ranking.

"Last weekend in Meribel there were not that many passing places on the course, which meant that starting towards the back and there being a crash at the start that I was behind.”

Despite being just 23 years old, the Olympic Podium Programme rider is the senior member of the squad for Norway and is a figure that the whole team looks up to and learns from.

Throughout the season, the squad has taken every opportunity to benefit from what Great Britain head mountain bike coach Phil Dixon describes as “pathway learning”, with younger riders such as Alice Barnes picking up valuable lessons from time spent with their elite teammates.

"I've done a few world championships now, major championships and big races it all becomes easier the more you do it. You learn how things work and what you need to do,” said Last.

"Any help or advice I can give I'm always happy to do."

"Being around people who've got more experience can help everyone out. I know that I'm still learning lots as well."

Annie Last will ride in the elite women’s cross-country race on Saturday, which is screened live on Red Bull TV. Reports, results and reaction will appear on the British Cycling website.

British Cycling Fan