British Cycling will not field an elite women’s or under 23 men’s squad at the upcoming UCI cyclo-cross world championships due to no riders meeting the criteria for selection.
This means that the likes of Alderney Baker, Anna Kay and recently crowned female British national champion Xan Crees will not compete in Lievin in northern France in just over one week's time. It was recently announced that Great Britain will send an elite men’s team to the event along with an under-23 and junior women’s teams. Two junior riders will represent GB in the junior men’s category.
"For all major event selections, we follow a rigorous and independent selection process in line with that specific event’s objectives," a spokesperson for British Cycling said regarding the decision on Thursday. “This ensures that we select riders who have the best chance of performing at world championship level or gaining valuable and positive development experience.
"In this case, in the elite women and under-23 men’s categories, there were no riders who met these objectives strongly enough to be selected for a major world championships."
The decision not to take an elite women’s team to Lievin was met with extreme disappointment from corners of the UK cycling community. Tony Orrell, team principal and manager of the Torelli pro cycling team labelled the decision "a joke" in a LinkedIn post and expressed that he felt Baker, Crees and Kay should all have been selected.
"How are these girls going to gain the experience and develop? What message does this send out to other young riders," Orrell wrote.
Anna Kay told Cycling Weekly that she was initially disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to compete at the highest level in her discipline but understood the decision.
"Worlds is one of the biggest races in the season," she said. "It’s a major championship and it’s always an honour to represent your country. But that was their decision so you have to respect the decision and then just try and move forward and try and get into a position next year where they have to take us and I feel like I’m good enough to go."
"The level of cyclo-cross in GB is really high at the moment, especially in the women’s category,” she added. “Xan, Alderney, they’ve all been really good on a national level this year. So yeah I would have thought maybe a few of us would have gone, but that was the decision."
Responding to the news that she had not been selected for the event, Xan Crees wrote on Instagram earlier this week: "After my best season yet I would have loved for the chance to represent Great Britain at the World Championships, not just for myself, but for the team, everyone who’s supported me, all those volunteers who make cycling and cyclo-cross in the UK possible and for all those young athletes like me to show them what’s possible if you believe.
"Unfortunately it wasn’t to be this year and I just hope I can continue to inspire our young riders in my other events."
The UCI cyclo-cross world championships take place in Lievin between 31 January and 2 February. GB will be represented by Cameron Mason and Thomas Mein in the elite men's race; Zoe Bäckstedt, Cat Ferguson, Ella Maclean-Howell and Imogen Wolff in the U23 women's race; Oscar Amey and Milo Willis in the junior men's race; and Arabella Blackburn, Ellie Mitchinson and Zoe Roche in the junior women's event.
