This is a hard one. What is a personality? Is it someone you’d like to have dinner with, because you know it would be entertaining? Is it someone you admire? Is it someone who has loads of Instagram followers? Or someone who’s put something into the sport? Maybe it’s all these things and more, maybe it’s a magic mixture of them all. Here’s who has been nominated for your vote, and why:
Annie Last
Annie is a rider that could by now have given it all up and be anonymously working in the industry – or continued her medical education. Previously on the British Cycling Olympic Development Programme, and with a great performance (eighth) at London 2012, Annie fought back after major injury and joined the OMX pro team, but missed out on the points needed to get her to the Olympics in Rio. Again, still no quitting, and Annie’s form has continued to improve, culminating in a win in Lenzerheide, making her the first British woman in 20 years to win a UCI Mountain Bike Cross-Country World Cup. If this trajectory continues, we could well see her on the start line in Tokyo. Could she be the rider that reignites wider British interest in XC racing?
Claudio Caluori
Whoop, eep, haha! aaagh! We all know Claudio from his World Cup course previews – whether you’re a rider or not, you can enjoy his running commentary as he rides down a hill at a speed that is beyond most of us, despite the fact that he’s usually struggling to stay on the tail of a pro in front. Of course we like it best when it goes a little wrong and he lets out a little shriek. As well as course previews, he manages a team and runs a track building company. He’s a busy man, but we’re pretty sure we’d enjoy dinner with him if we could get him to sit still long enough.
Dan Jarvis
The voice of Fort William and the Olympics, Dan Jarvis is a commentator who has been in the sport for many years, including being a team manager, commentator and consultant. He’s written columns for us, and has been one of British Cycling’s most outspoken critics (and was one of Hadleigh Farm’s earliest backers when the Olympic course was proposed there). Championing the cause for XC racing, and gender equality in the UK as well as being the Voice of Fort William, Dan has been doing his bit to promote the sport we love, across all of its disciplines.
Vote In The 2017 Singletrack Readers Awards Here.
