British Cycling has announced the team selected to represent GB in the Cross-Country races at the 2012 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, which takes place in Saalfelden, Austria, from August 29th to September 9th 2012.
The team, the largest selected by British Cycling for an overseas World Championships, originally included three Olympians in Annie Last and Liam Killeen, who both rode in the London Olympics and Oli Beckingsale, who competed at Athens and Beijing.
However, Killeen suffered a serious ankle injury in the Olympic race and will not be racing again this season.
Last, 21, is currently ranked sixth in the world on the back of a career-best season and will compete in Under-23 category at the World Championships, in which she has won silver medals in both the last two years.
Kenta Gallagher, 20, is also having a career-best season in the Under-23 category, with a second national title and two top-10 finishes in World Cups. He is ranked 15th in the world.
Competing in the Junior ranks, Beth Crumpton has had three top 15 finishes in World Cups and also won her second national title last week.
National Mountain Bike Coach Phil Dixon said: “The team has established international quality at the Elite and Under-23 level and will be represented in all categories which is an indication of the strength of Mountain Biking in Great Britain. We have a healthy number of boys and girls in the junior categories which is encouraging for the future.”
Elite Men
Liam Killeen*
David Fletcher
Oliver Beckingsale
Elite Women
Lee Craigie
U23 Men
Grant Ferguson
Kenta Gallagher
Sebastian Bachelor
Steve James
U23 Women
Annie Last
Junior Men
Iain Paton
Michael Thompson.
Samuel Stean
Junior Women
Alice Barnes
Beth Crumpton
Rebecca Preece
* Liam Killeen will not be racing due to injury sustained in Olympic Games race.
