British Cycling explain controversial decision to select no elite women for the cyclocross World Championships

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."