The 2016 British Cycling MTB Cross-country Series reaches its final round this weekend at Cannock Chase with the women’s title still to be decided.
Liam Killeen’s win at Fforest Fields means he has secured his first series win but any one of four women could take the prize this weekend.
Elite men
Malvern Cycle Sport’s Liam Killeen dominated in Wales in round four, to claim his second win of the 2016 series following success in Newnham Park in April.
That win put Killeen on 225 points, an unassailable lead with just one race remaining.
But Killeen won’t be heading to Staffordshire just to take a victory lap – and could improve his score to 236 points by winning on Sunday.
The remaining podium places are up for grabs with Pine Cycles – Felt – Enve’s David Fletcher looking to secure his second place.
Fletcher has 185 points and leads third place Alexander Welburn by 33 points, although the TORQ Performance rider will not be able to overtake him whatever his result at Cannock Chase.
That’s because the series rules state that a rider’s best four scores will count towards their overall total, meaning Welburn can only get to 176 win a win in Staffordshire.
That could open the door for 100% me’s Iain Paton, currently in fourth on 148 points. Paton finished 38th in the Series opener in Pembrey and knows that any improvement on that position would see his overall score increase dramatically.
The other riders who could crack the top three with strong performances are Specialized Racing’s Phillip Pearce, last year’s series winner, currently fifth on 142 points, as well as Giles Drake (Leisure Lakes Bikes.com) who heads to Staffordshire on 132 points in seventh.
Elite women
It’s still all to ride for in the women’s competition – with overall series win chances boosted for four riders by Evie Richards’ selection for world cup duty for Great Britain Cycling Team.
Richards has been in sensational form this season, winning all three rounds that she has entered in 2016 – but won’t have the chance to secure the overall title due to competing in Canada.
That leaves the young 100% me rider stranded on 180 points in second place, with four riders set to compete for the series win on Sunday.
Isla Short (Novus OMX Pro Team) is the current leader on 192 points from four consistent rides, including two second places at Newnham Park and Fforest Fields.
A win in Staffordshire would take Short to 218 points and guarantee her the title – but anything less than first would open the door to her rivals.
Best placed to pounce is Bicycle Works Race Team’s Lucy Grant, currently in fourth. Crossing the line first at Cannock Chase would also hand her the title with 217 points – and reduce Short to a maximum of 214 if she took second place.
However, Bethany Crumpton also has the chance to take victory if she can get the win on Sunday. Currently fifth on 156 points, the Boot Out Breast Cancer CC rider would reach 216 points with a win.
A fourth rider could also claim the series – but fate is not in her own hands. Kerry MacPhee (Rock and Road Cycles), who has 141 points, would climb to 201 points by finishing first, but would need Short to finish outside the top five and both Crumpton and Grant to finish tenth or lower to be crowned series winner.
Don’t forget to bring your calculators to Cannock Chase!
Event information
The fifth and final round of the 2016 British Cycling MTB Cross-country Series takes place on 6-7 August at Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, in association with Run & Ride / Midland Bike Fit.
Elite races take place on Sunday, with the women’s competition at 1pm and the men’s race at 3.15pm. Races last approximately 90 minutes, with riders taking a mass start before negotiating a series of 15-minute laps. Courses are designed to be spectator friendly and events are free to watch.
There is also age and ability-based racing across both days – for full details, see the event homepage.
Want to try it for yourself? Check out our guide on how to get into mountain biking.
