Guide: 2016 British Cycling National Mountain Bike Cross-country Championships

Guide: 2016 British Cycling National Mountain Bike Cross-country Championships

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The 2016 British Cycling National Mountain Bike Cross-country Championship heads north of the border this weekend as Glasgow plays host to the annual cross-country showpiece event.

National champion’s jerseys are up for grabs at Cathkin Braes with defending champions returning in both elite and under-23 races and new champions guaranteed in each of the junior races.

Elite

Grant Ferguson goes in search of his fourth consecutive national title at the 2016 championships.

The 22-year-old from Peebles will have the backing of the majority of the Scottish crowd in attendance at Cathkin Braes – where the CST Superior Brenjens MTB Racing Team rider will look to transfer his international form to the domestic championships.

Ferguson has taken two top twenty world cup finishes on his first season on the elite circuit and will represent Great Britain at the Olympics next month. He will also look to become just the second male British rider ever to claim four British Cycling National Mountain Bike Cross-country Championships in a row.

Liam Killeen

One of the men looking to stop him is the only rider to ever win four or more consecutive British championships, Liam Killeen (Malvern Cycle Sport). The 34-year-old has, in fact, won five titles in a row between 2008 and 2012 and has also claimed the 2016 British Cycling MTB Cross-country Series title with victory at Fforest Fields, his second win of the series.

David Fletcher (Pines Cycles Felt – Enve) is currently one place behind Killeen in the series standings following a year of consistent riding and will have his eye on a strong performance in Glasgow as will Specialized Racing’s Phillip Pearce, who currently sits fifth in the standings and with a number of world cup rounds under his belt in 2016.

Annie Last

In the women’s race, defending champion Annie Last goes in search of a fifth senior title.

Only two women, Caroline Alexander and Jenny Copnall, have previously claimed the British Cycling National Mountain Bike Cross-country Championships elite women’s title on five occasions or more, with Alexander holding the record of eight titles.

One of Last’s major challengers could be one of the MacPhee sisters. Kerry and Kirsty, who both ride for Rock and Road Cycles, have shown consistency throughout the 2016 British Cycling MTB Cross-country Series, standing in sixth and 11th respectively.

Kerry MacPhee

Jane Barr is currently third in the series standings. The Velocity 44 Stirling rider is yet to crack the top five in the series in 2016, but has ridden consistently to claim four top ten finishes.

Maxine Filby (Cannondale Girls) is another rider who has had a fine season in the mountain bike series, finishing no lower than seventh in her three outings so far.

Under-23

A strong under-23 line-up will take to the course in Glasgow with Iain Paton and Bethany Crumpton out to retain their titles.

Paton, representing 100% ME, has been a regular on the under-23 world cup circuit this season and competed at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in the Czech Republic earlier this month.

Iain Paton

Paton’s main challenge could come from his 100% ME team-mates, with Mark McGuire and 2015 junior men’s champion Frazer Clacherty also set to feature.

In the women’s under-23 race, Boot Out Breast Cancer CC’s Bethany Crumpton returns to domestic action after representing the Great Britain Cycling Team at the world championships.

Crumpton will know that 100% ME’s Evie Richards poses the biggest threat to her crown. Richards, who finished fourth at the world championships, has also taken two second places at world cups in 2016 and has won every British Cycling MTB Cross-country Series event that she’s competed in this season.

Evie Richards

Despite strong form from Richards in the series, it is another rider who leads the overall standings by virtue of competing in one more race. Novus OMX Pro Team’s Isla Short is one to watch in Glasgow given her consistent form in the standings.

2015 junior women’s champion Ffion James (100% ME) will also offer a challenge on her graduation to the under-23 event.

Juniors

New men’s and women’s junior champions will be crowned in Scotland. In the men’s race, Will Gascoyne is among the favourites. The Sherwood Pines Cycles Felt – Enve rider finished tenth in the world championships earlier this month and will hope to continue his good form.

Will Gascoyne

His then Great Britain Cycling Team team-mate Cameron Orr (Sran Youth Development) is another potential race-winner, as is Specialized Racing’s Daniel Tulett.

European champion Sophie Wright (Revale RT) will be the pre-race favourite for the junior women’s title, having followed up victory in Sweden with an excellent fourth place in the world championships.

Joining Wright on the start-line will be a familiar face in Emily Wadsworth. Wadsworth was part of the Great Britain Cycling Team at the world championships in Nove Mesto and represents Beeline-Gener8 this weekend.

In addition to the elite, under-23 and junior races, there will also be a full programme of events covering other age categories, including masters, veterans and youth races.

Schedule

Saturday 16 July

2.30pm – Open and sport categories

4.30pm – Under-12 races

Sunday 17 July

9am – Youth and juvenile boys’, youth and juvenile girls’ championships

10.45am – Masters, veteran, grand veteran and super veteran men’s championships

1pm – Senior, under-23 and junior women’s championships (including masters, veteran and grand veteran women’s races)

3.15pm – Senior, under-23 and junior men’s championships

Start lists

Saturday

Sunday

How to follow

  • Report and gallery will appear on the British Cycling website
  • Updates will appear on Twitter @BritishCycling