PMBA

London 2012 hopeful to host Mountain Bike Masterclass at Lee Quarry

Annie Last

Current UK National Mountain Bike champion and two time U23 World Mountain Bike Silver Medalist, Annie Last, will be holding a Skills Masterclass for women at Lee Quarry, Rossendale on Saturday 3 March 2012.

Annie is currently riding for the Milka-Brentjens MTB Racing Team and training hard towards her 2012 season goals of medalling at the London Olympic Games and winning her first World Championship. Annie is passionate about her sport and has ambition to inspire more females to ride mountain bikes and give them the confidence to take to the great outdoors with their family or friends; an environment where they can experience the sense of achievement, the traffic free riding and the health and fitness benefits that come with her sport.

The skills masterclass series has been designed to provide an opportunity for females of all riding ability to get together and learn how to improve their technical ability, be that basic balance and coordination or an introduction to something more challenging. The class, which will be free of charge for participants and will include learning how to set up a bike with Annie's mechanic, could include mums who want to develop the confidence to take the kids for a ride, those who ride a bike and want to venture off road for the first time, or keen bike riders who want to learn how to continue to improve. 10 Women have already been selected for the first masterclass, with half of the participants coming from the local Brownbacks Racing club based at Lee Quarry (www.brownbacksracing.co.uk) and half from her fan base. Additional skills classes will be held later in the year so this will not be the only opportunity to learn from one of the world's best bike riders.

Annie is fresh off her best ever season in 2011 in which she established herself as one of the most exciting female riders in the world. Annie is from Bakewell, Derbyshire, and at the age of 21, is very much a developing athlete; yet she already has a reputation as one of the most technically gifted female riders on the world cup circuit with a tenacious approach to racing. Annie Last, Milka-Brentjens MTB Racing Team and London 2012 Olympic Games hopeful, said: "The opportunity to represent Great Britain at the London Olympic Games is one I want to take hold of with both hands. I am working as hard as I can everyday to be the best prepared I can be. I am still a young developing rider and I am up against the best bike riders in the world, but with the home crowd behind me I believe I can do myself, my family and the nation proud. A medal is a challenging target as GB has never medalled at the Olympics in mountain biking before, however I will give everything I have on the day to achieve it. The World Championships in Austria follow the Olympic Games three weeks later, and I will be looking to win my first world title at these championships.

"I had the idea of running the skills masterclass while riding at our technical training venue in Lee Quarry. I'd like to see more women take to cycling, in particular Mountain Biking, and putting something back into my sport in this way is something I am really passionate about continuing to do. I hope the sessions will provide fellow female riders with the skills to get more out of their riding. In particular I like the idea of mums being able to feel more confident to go to parks or trail centres with the kids and enjoy traffic free riding, and post ride tea and cake! A big thank you to Rossendale and Lancashire Councils for their support for my first masterclass. They have created a great training venue at Lee Quarry that has helped me improve as a rider and I am really pleased I am able to hold the first of these events there."

 Phil Dixon, Annie's coach, commented: "Lee Quarry is a fantastic facility which is constantly developing and is a regular skills training venue for Annie. The quarries have been very much a part of our winter training preparations for the Olympic Games. We are here every week from October to the end of December taking advantage of the challenging trails the quarry is renowned for. Annie has worked hard at her technical skills for many years and she is technically one of the best riders in the world. I think the sessions are a fantastic idea and her willingness and determination to put back into the sport at a young age is a reflection of the type of character she is."