RISING star Evie Richards has been selected as part of a 13-strong squad which will represent Great Britain at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships this weekend.
The Malvern rider will be racing in the under-23 women’s category in Valkenburg, Netherlands.
Last year’s silver medallist will be back in action having secured victory in the elite women’s category at the World Cup in Namur last month and finishing third in Hoogerheide over the weekend.
She will be joined by junior national champion and fellow Malvernite Hattie Harnden.
“I’m looking forward to this year’s cyclo-cross world championships,” said Richards.
“I feel like I’ve had a good build-up to it over the past couple of months.
“I was thrilled to win in the elite women’s category in Namur and finish on the podium over the weekend in Hoogerheide.
“The level of competition was pretty tough in both of those races so it was a boost to my confidence.
“I love racing cyclo-cross, and obviously the world championships is the biggest race on the calendar, so I’m excited about racing in Valkenburg.”
British Cycling’s cyclo-cross co-ordinator Matt Ellis added there was a lot of excitement within this squad ahead of this year’s world championships, thanks to the successful season the British riders have enjoyed.
“The course is difficult, as you would expect for a world championships,” he said.
“It’s hilly, with a lot of off-camber sections which requires high fitness levels and it’s grassy therefore likely to get muddy and slippy which will challenge the riders’ technical abilities.
“Looking at the skillsets of the riders we have selected, the course does suit a lot of our riders’ attributes and I think we can expect some good results at this year’s world championships, reflective of what we’ve seen from them this season.”