British XC Riders Head To Lenzerheide On A High

Last weekend’s World Cup at Vallnord saw another round of great results for the young British Cycling tea, as well as other British riders competing on the circuit.

Frazer Clacherty out on the course at Vallnord. Credit: Simon Watts

Evie Richards made it three under-23 podiums out of three in Vallnord, as she finished third in the Andorra round of the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup. Ella Conolly made huge improvements on her previous world cup outings by finishing in 18th place. Fellow Brit, 21-year-old Isla Short finished in eighth place for OMX Pro Team, her best ever world cup finish.

U23 Women’s Podium. Credit: Simon Watts

Frazer Clacherty started in the second row on the U23 grid and fought hard throughout the six-lap race to finish in 16th place.

What do you mean this hurts? Credit: Simon Watts

In the Elite field, Annie Last put in another strong performance for her team OMX Pro Team, finishing 17th in a large field of 62 riders, while Grant Ferguson was the best placed of the British contingent in the elite men’s race, finishing in 23rd position for his team CST Sandd American Eagle MTB Racing Team.

All these riders, plus Iain Paton and Kerry MacPhee (Scottish Cycling), are now setting their sights on the next round, which takes place this weekend in Lenzerheide.

We’re pretty sure the bouncy castle isn’t part of the course. Credit: Simon Watts

Lead coach Simon Watts said: “We saw some really strong performances in Vallnord, with Evie finishing in third and Ella finishing in a career best 18th place. Frazer placed 16th which I was pleased with as his hard work is paying off and he’s starting to show consistency within the race.

“The course in Lenzerheide is technical with a mixture of natural woodland with exposed roots and rocks and man-made jumps and drops which make it spectator friendly. I’ll be looking for all three of the riders to build on what they’ve learned from the world cups so far and to back up their results from last weekend with more good performances this weekend.”

Stiff climbs at altitude. Credit: Simon Watts

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.