Jul 2011: Killeen makes it 3 in a row at UK National Champs

Liam Killeen and Annie Last both made successful defences of their British XC Championship titles with strong performances in the 2011 races in North Yorkshire.

Killeen (Giant Factory Racing) proved too strong for a quality field in the senior men's race, crossing the line well clear of Oli Beckingsale (Endura Racing).

On a course hit by rain 24 hours pervious, the opening salvos were fired early in the race. Lee Williams and Paul Oldham lead out the field on a exploration of two steep climbs and two technical descents, before crossing the road to tackle a combination of forest tracks and singletrack - all encompassing a slippery coating of mud.

On the final climb of the opening lap Killeen and Beckingsale had established themselves at the front, Lee Williams at a tantalising three seconds back and Paul Oldham a further ten seconds adrift. Missing from this lineup was Dave Fletcher - expected to be racing his first senior championship in his final year as an under-23 - but absent due to a broken wrist sustained on a training ride.

As the race went on Killeen started to eke out a gap on Beckingsale, leading the 2007 British Champion by five seconds up the final climb of lap two and launching a sustained assault on the title.

Such a move was enough to distance Williams significantly, leaving Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing) to monitor the leaders from around ten seconds back. But Williams hit back in the later stages, dropping Oldham and coming back to haunt Beckingsale on the final lap.

As Killeen crossed the line two minutes clear for his fourth consecutive British Championship title, Beckingsale upped his game to dispatch of Williams for a second time, leaving the Welsh number-one to ride in for third.

Behind Williams, Paul Oldham finished a race which was all about chasing - first the lead group and then Williams. Dave Collins completed the top five.

After the race Killeen spoke of his happiness to retain the title, following a long-haul flight back from the USA on Monday, where he had competed in the Mountain Bike World Cup and didn't have the greatest luck.

"I was disappointed with my result there - I was in the group fighting for eighth to twelfth, I'd closed the gap with a puncture, but on the decent I lost more air and I was just trying to hold on to some team positions. So top twenty was good but the top ten was there for the taking. I guess I just have to wait for another opportunity."

But on his retention of the British Championship jersey, Killeen was more upbeat.

"I'm really pleased today, because getting back from Windham on Monday has meant I've been trying to recover all week.

"I think Oli was in the same position. I thought he would be the guy to race against earlier on, but Lee was also in the mix. He's had his ups and downs, but when he gets it right he can go pretty quick and that's good to see.

"We're also lucky the the rain held off, I was worried about weather the course would hold up if the forecast was right - fortunately though we escaped it.

"It's nice to retain the jersey, it's the biggest domestic race and it's good to wear it again. Oli was putting the hammer down on the first lap on the steep climbs - but I didn't think that was where the race could be won. There was too much flowing singletrack. Basically it was an all rounder course, the wind was a factor today. if you could sit on a wheel it was a big help, but once the race was blown apart it was man against man"

With the Olympics constantly on the two-time Olympian's radar, Killeen is unlikely to ride the Test Event, instead opting to chase races with a more significant UCI points haul.

"I'm now assessing my next races - I'm doubtful over the Olympic Test Event - the UCI points aren't there and I have to be smart about that to actually get to the Olympics. If I train through a weekend and hit a good race for points then that is probably the better bet."

Source - British Cycling