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.

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. At the first World Cup event of 2012, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, she placed ninth, although at one point she was leading the race. 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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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.

She has been a member of professional mountain bike teams Milka-Superior, Trek Factory Racing, and Silverback OMX Pro Team. 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. Her brother, Tom, was also a professional mountain bike and road cyclist before becoming a presenter for Global Cycling Network.

Major results Cyclo-cross

2006–2007 National Trophy Series 2nd Cheltenham 3rd Derby 2011–2012 3rd National Championships 2012–2013 3rd National Championships 2014–2015 3rd National Championships 2021–2022 2nd National Championships National Trophy Series 3rd Gravesend

Mountain bike

2008 1st Cross-country, National Junior Championships 2010 1st Cross-country, National Championships

2011 1st Cross-country, National Championships

2012 BMC Racing Cup 1st Basel 1st Davos National XC Series 1st Dalby Forest 1st Sherwood Pines UCI XCO World Cup 3rd Val d'Isère 2014 1st Cross-country, National Championships National XC Series 2nd Sherwood Pines 2015 1st Cross-country, National Championships National XC Series 1st Glasgow 1st Plymouth 2016 1st Cross-country, National Championships National XC Series 2nd Dalby Forest 2017 1st Cross-country, National Championships UCI XCO World Cup 1st Lenzerheide National XC Series 1st Dalby Forest

2nd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss) 1st Stage 6 2018

1st Cross-country, National Championships National XC Series 1st Dalby Forest 3rd Overall Cape Epic (with Mariske Strauss) 2019 1st Cross-country, National Championships Copa Catalana Internacional 1st Banyoles National XC Series 1st Cannock Chase 1st Sherwood Pines UCI XCC World Cup 2nd Nové Město UCI XCO World Cup 3rd Snowshoe 2020 Copa Catalana Internacional 3rd Banyoles 2021 UCI XCC World Cup 3rd Albstadt 2022 National XCO Championships 1st Cross-country 1st Short track National XC Series 1st Newcastleton

Copa Catalana Internacional 3rd Banyoles 2023 XCC French Cup 1st Guéret Shimano Super Cup 2nd Baza