UK Announces Team For UCI DH World Championships

British Cycling has today announced the riders that will represent the Great Britain Cycling Team at the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships – Downhill Four Cross in Val di Sole Trentino, Italy from 6-11 September.

Rachel Atherton is a 3x UCI Downhill World Champion. Will she make it a 4th at Val di Sol? Photo: Bartek Wolinski

Rachel Atherton will be aiming to win back to back world titles and claim her fourth world championship overall in a year which has seen her dominate the sport, winning 12 successive UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Cups. She is joined in the event by 2014 world champion Manon Carpenter and 2014 bronze medallist Tahnee Seagrave.

Danny Hart has been on fire in 2016, with a super consistent performance that has been rewarded with two consecutive World Cup wins. Will he wear the rainbow stripes for the second time in his career? Photo: Bartek Wolinski

In the men’s downhill event, Danny Hart, winner of the last two World Cups is part of a strong men’s downhill squad that also includes 2014 world champion Gee Atherton. They are joined by Josh Bryceland, a bronze medallist in 2015 and Laurie Greenland, the 2015 junior world champion. The Great Britain Cycling Team will also have representatives in the men’s and women’s junior events.

Gee Atherton has claimed the World Championship title in Val di Sol before, but it was 8 years ago. Can he return to his former glory?

Great Britain Cycling Team MTB DHI & 4X Co-ordinator, Michael Vickers said:

“We have selected a big team for the world championships and we have high hopes for medals across a number of different events. Rachel Atherton has been in incredible form over the past 12 months but she will have real competition on her hands from her team mates Manon Carpenter and Tahnee Seagrave.”

21-year old Tahnee Seagrave is putting solid results on the board in 2016. Could she be the one to knock Rachel Atherton off her throne?

“The men’s race should also be incredibly competitive with a number of riders in with a medal shout and I’m looking forward to seeing how Laurie Greenland makes the step up from junior to elite competition this year. Luke Cryer also has a real opportunity to medal after his excellent performance at last year’s world championships. This event represents a great chance for the team to enjoy plenty of success.”