British Cycling explain controversial decision to select no elite women for the cyclocross World Championships
Cyclocross
With the Cyclocross World Championships fast approaching in
early February, British Cycling has raised eyebrows with their decision not to
send any elite women or a men’s under-23 team to the competition.
This means that notable riders such as Alderney Baker, Anna
Kay, and the newly crowned British national champion Xan Crees will not be
competing in the championships, set to take place in Liévin, northern France.
Explaining their reasoning to Cycling Weekly, British
Cycling stated, "For all major event selections, we follow a rigorous and
independent selection process in line with that specific event’s objectives.
"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."
Anna Kay, a prominent cyclocross rider, expressed her
initial disappointment about missing the opportunity to compete on such a
prestigious stage but acknowledged the rationale behind the decision.
"Worlds is one of the biggest races in the
season," she told Cycling Weekly. "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."
National champion Xan Crees also reflected on her omission,
sharing her thoughts on Instagram. "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."
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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