World Championships

This month brings a frustrating end to my 2025 cross country mountain bike season. I came into the World Championships in Crans Montana Switzerland with some big ambitions, and it’s massively annoying to have that ruined by something I couldn’t control. 

The course was amazing fun with loads of technical climbing and some super-technical A-Line descents. The constant technicality meant you had to be razor-focused the entire time to avoid mistakes. I even had the opportunity to follow Mathieu van der Poel down one of the main descents. 

I was set to do the team relay on Friday evening, however, a last-minute illness struck one of the team’s riders too late to substitute another in, bringing an end to our team relay. 

When I awoke on race morning, I instantly knew I was ill. A head cold had moved in—I couldn’t breathe through my nose, my throat was burning, and a general ache filled my body. Fast forward to the afternoon and there was little improvement, but as it was the World Championships and final race of my season, I decided to battle through and race anyway. 

I was gridded third row and had a good start. I managed to hold my position for the first half lap before the illness started to affect my performance on the second climb. I continued to push, but I could feel that the bulk of my ability was inaccessible due to the illness. I rode on at the pace I could manage, slowly dropping further back and eventually finishing a disappointing 50th. 

Races like this are always tough to accept, but I must acknowledge that sometimes factors beyond my control directly impact performance. What I can do is focus on where I can improve next time and on the invaluable lessons I’ll carry forward. 

A massive thanks to the GB Cycling Team for the trip and all the amazing support over the week! While this wasn’t the ending, I hoped for, it gives me a clear direction for next season, and I’m more motivated than ever. 

I’ll hopefully be announcing some exciting news about my racing next season so stay tuned!