Annie Last

Annie Last (born 7 September 1990), is an English professional cyclist, representing Great Britain and England, who specialises in mountain biking and cyclo-cross. She was chosen as a female competitor in the cross country mountain bike event for the Great Britain team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, going on to take 8th place.

Annie Last
Annie Last in 2012
Personal information
Born (1990-09-07) 7 September 1990[1]
Bakewell, Derbyshire
Height168 cm (5 ft 6 in)[2]
Weight59 kg (130 lb)
Team information
Current teamKMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour
DisciplineCross-country mountain biking, cyclo-cross
RoleRider
Professional teams
2012Milka Superior
2013–2014Trek Factory Racing
2016-2017Silverback OMX Pro Team
2018-KMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour

Last won the silver medal in the mountain bike cross-country event at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships, before taking the gold medal in the same event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. She competed at the 2018 Cross Country European Championships.

Career

Last was introduced to mountain biking by her father and brother, Tom as she accompanied them on racing trips.[1] In 2009, she joined the British Cycling Olympic Academy programme, and was originally expected to be a potential athlete for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[3] During the two-year-long build up for the 2012 Summer Olympics, she elected to compete in full adult competition instead of the under-23 events she was normally entitled to enter. This was in order to enhance her chances of competing at the Games.[4]

At the World Cup event in Dalby Forest during May 2011, she finished a career best of 14th place.[5] At the first World Cup event of 2012, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, she placed ninth, although at one point she was leading the race.[3] She finished one place better, in 8th place, at the World Cup event in La Bresse, and later another 9th-place finish in Windham in the United States.[6]

Her qualification for the 2012 Olympics came down to the World Cup event in La Bresse in May 2012. Great Britain did not get an automatic qualification spot for the women's mountain biking event, and so finishes in international events were required for the team to gain a place at the Games in the event.[7] She finished eighth at the event, giving Great Britain a spot at the Olympics in her event, and was expected to be announced in the British team for the Games.[4] Her place in the women's cross country was later confirmed along with Liam Killeen, who will compete in the men's competition.[8]

In March, 2017, Last took part in the eight-day Absa Cape Epic stage race for the first time and finished second with South African partner Mariske Strauss. It was Last’s first Cape Epic, which takes place in the Western Cape, South Africa, every year. The 2017 route was 651 km in total. She continued her good form later that season by taking her first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup win in Lenzerheide, Switzerland in July, becoming the first British woman to win a cross-country World Cup event since Caroline Alexander's victory in Sankt Wendel, Germany in 1997.[9] She went on to finish second at the 2017 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Cairns, Australia in September, becoming the first British female medallist in the elite cross-country event.[10] Annie Last and her partner Mariske Strauss worked to stay on GC podium at the 2018 Cape Epic after Strauss fell ill before the second last stage.[11] Last broke through Canada's hold of, and earning England's first Commonwealth Games gold medal in the women's cross country at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.[12]

She has been a member of professional mountain bike teams Milka-Superior, Trek Factory Racing, and Silverback [13]OMX Pro Team.[14] [15][16] She currently races for KMC-Ekoï-SR Suntour.

Personal life

Last has deferred attending university to study medicine in order to be a professional mountain biker.[4] Her brother, Tom, was also a professional mountain bike and road cyclist before becoming a presenter for Global Cycling Network.[17]

Major results
2008
1st Junior Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
2009
5th U23 Cross Country, Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
2010
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
2nd U23 Cross Country, Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
2011
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
2nd U23 Cross Country, Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
2012
3rd Cross Country, Val d'Isère World Cup
3rd British National Cyclo-cross Championships
4th U23 Cross Country, Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships
8th Cross Country, Olympic Games
2013
3rd British National Cyclo-cross Championships
2014
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
4th Cross Country, Commonwealth Games
2015
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
3rd British National Cyclo-cross Championships
2016
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
2017
1st Cross Country, Lenzerheide World Cup
1st Cross Country, British National Mountain Biking Championships
2nd Cross Country, Mountain Bike World Championships
2nd Overall, Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)
1st Stage 6
2018
1st Cross Country, Commonwealth Games
3rd Overall, Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss)

References
  1. "Annie Last". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  2. "Annie Last". Team England. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  3. Shea, Julian (29 March 2012). "Mountain biker Annie Last proves 2012 medal potential at World Cup opener". Metro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  4. Cook, Sarah (21 May 2012). "London 2012: Annie Last secures GB mountain bike place". BBC Sport. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  5. "Annie Last enjoys Mountain Bike World Cup success". BBC Sport. 24 May 2011. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  6. "Another 9th place for Annie Last in Windham USA". Milka Superior Mountain Bike Racing Team. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  7. "Team GB's Annie Last on cusp of Olympic qualification". BBC Sport. 18 May 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  8. Shea, Julian (14 June 2012). "Mountain biker Annie Last delighted at prospect of Olympic bow". Metro. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  9. "Annie Last makes history with stunning UCI Mountain Bike Cross-country World Cup victory". British Cycling. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  10. "Mountain Bike World Championships: Annie Last wins GB's first elite women's cross-country medal". bbc.co.uk. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2017.
  11. Buick, Anna (18 March 2018). "Cape Epic 2018". OMX Pro Team. Retrieved 22 April 2018.
  12. Barrett, Wil (12 April 2018). "Annie Last Brings Home Commonwealth Gold! Plus, Evie Richards With Silver!". Singletrack. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  13. "Silverback Bikes - Lightweight Performance Bicycles - Best in class". Silverback Bikes. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
  14. "Annie Last". Milka Superior Mountainbike Racing Team. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  15. "McConnell, Henderson and Last join Trek Factory Racing". CyclingNews.com. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  16. Allen, Kane (6 January 2016). "Annie Last Signs for the Novus OMX Pro Team". Singletrack. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
  17. "Tom Last". Global Cycling Network. Retrieved 16 July 2017.
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