Xan Crees interview: National success, selection heartbreak, and the future of British cyclo-cross
Despite an outstanding season and fulfilling her dream of becoming National Cyclo-cross Champion, Xan Crees reflects on the disappointment of being omitted from the Great Britain squad for the World Championships—a decision shaped by a controversial selection policy that has sparked widespread debate.
Cycling is a sport synonymous with highs and lows, an equilibrium almost every rider will have experienced throughout their career. No stranger to this sensation is the newly crowned National Cyclo-cross Champion Xan Crees, who spoke to The British Continental after a rollercoaster fortnight. Achieving her dream by seeing off a stellar field containing some of the sport’s biggest talents as she soloed to a memorable victory at Gravesend’s Cyclopark, she would learn only days later that she would not be representing Great Britain at next month’s World Championships in Liévin, France; the eleven-strong squad bereft of any representation in the Elite Women’s category.
Honestly, it was absolutely surreal
“Honestly, it was absolutely surreal,” the 24-year-old recalls, describing the final stages of her National Championship triumph, where she found herself alone at the head of the race, leading from the early stages after a nervy start for the field on the technical Kent course. “It was quite funny because at the start of the race I ended up accidentally—I say accidentally—taking the lead early on. And I was like, well, this is good, I can always say I’ve led the National Championships!” she laughs, her aim at the start of the day to claim a medal, having just missed out on the elite podium multiple times.
As the race progressed, Crees looked to be in with an excellent chance of achieving her aim, building a solid advantage over the field with Movistar’s prodigious talent Cat Ferguson. “A little bit later I thought, OK, there’s quite a big gap now, I’m probably going to get the podium,” she continues. “It was over halfway through the race where suddenly my mindset actually shifted and went, OK, I want to win this race, how do I win this race?”
Xan Crees battles Cat Ferguson at the British Cycling Lloyds Cyclo-cross National Championships 2025. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Crees went all in as she moved clear of her rival, setting up a thrilling finale as the finish line approached. “I was trying to not think too much about things like that,” she replies when asked if what was at stake played on her mind in the closing stages. “The main thing was I raced a really calm, controlled race, and I was just trying to think, keep it smooth, keep it going, you’re going really well. I don’t know what it was, but my head was just in the right place on that day and I just stayed in this calm, very focused zone which definitely helped, especially in the last few laps.”
It was really cool and really exciting to be there in the champs kit, and in cyclo-cross it’s a tradition that the National Champs do that first race after the Championships
A relative veteran of the Spectra Racing p/b DAS team, Crees got the chance to debut the coveted jersey the following day in Belgium, something she found helped her quickly come to terms with her achievement. “It was really cool and really exciting to be there in the champs kit, and in cyclo-cross it’s a tradition that the national champs do that first race after the Championships, which is Otegem,” she explains. “I got to wear the stripes pretty much instantly. I think having that first race so soon kind of helped it sink in a bit—you turn up and get announced as National Champion, it’s kind of thrown in your face very quickly.”
Sitting on the grid less than 24 hours after crossing the line in Gravesend, however, brought its own set of challenges for Crees. “It wasn’t my finest moment on the bike,” she admits. “I got there and was like, I’m so excited to race, but I’m also very aware I’m not actually ready to race at the same time! After the race [on Sunday], obviously I had to do interviews and stuff—it was like five hours after the race before I actually ate anything—so to try and race the next day, I was already way set back. Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong on that Monday race, but in my head I was like that’s fine because it all went right on Sunday.”
Xan Crees at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup: Maasmechelen – Maasmechelen, Limburg, Belgium. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
If those 24 hours represented Crees’ high, the announcement of the Great Britain team for the World Championships in France brought the low; the eleven-rider list notable for its omission of Crees, and any other riders in the Elite Women’s category.
I even joked with a teammate quite early on that I could win National Champs and I still wouldn’t get to the Worlds, and unfortunately that has rung true
“Obviously, not being selected is slightly disappointing. As a rider, when you start your season it’s always what you want to achieve,” explains Crees, who knew from the outset selection was ultimately out of her hands due to a controversial selection criterion based on a rider’s podium chances and future potential. “Obviously, being aware of the selection criteria prior, I was always aware early in the year—even with a great year like I’ve had—selection was unlikely. I even joked with a teammate quite early on that I could win National Champs and I still wouldn’t get to the Worlds, and unfortunately that has rung true.”
Crees, a popular rider among fans, has since found herself propelled into the centre of a campaign to change the selection criteria, noting herself the scale of the engagement and emotion from the public in relation to the absence of British riders, and in particular the National Champion, in the Elite Women’s category.
Xan Crees celebrates winning the Elite Female Cyclo-cross National Championship. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
“What’s happened this year has happened,” she reflects, feeling no malice towards the governing body. “The selections were made based on the criteria they have, and I do not envy anyone who has had to select the riders because I’m aware they’re in a really hard position.
“It is a shame we’re not going to have women’s representation in the elite category, just as it’s a shame we won’t see any under-23 men attending this year,” she continues, turning her attention to changing the criteria for the good of the sport in Britain as a whole.
“The more riders we have, the more we get a chance for people to actually see, ‘Oh look, there’s somebody there, I can achieve that, I can do that too’. I think as a rider one of the things you want most is to inspire and encourage more people to join. The field sizes in women’s races have grown massively over the last few years and that’s been great, and the more women we have racing, the more we’re going to continue to see young girls, and other women, take it up and the grassroots level is going to grow.
I think the thing as riders that we want to change, and push to change, is the criteria, because the cyclo-cross criteria at the moment are basically Olympic-level selection criteria for a non-Olympic, non-funded discipline
“I think the thing as riders that we want to change, and push to change, is the [selection] criteria, because the cyclo-cross criteria at the moment are basically Olympic-level selection criteria for a non-Olympic, non-funded discipline. If we want to continue to grow the sport, OK, we don’t want to send someone who’s going to get lapped on the first lap because that’s not a great look for anyone, but I think we want to change the criteria so it’s a little bit less harsh so we can have more representation, and so we can have more riders achieving the results. By having that pathway, the younger riders can see, this is a rider I’ve seen at the National Trophy, or winning the National Championship, and I can see they’ve gone on to do this, they can aspire to do the same themselves.”
Xan Crees celebrates winning the Elite Female Cyclo-cross National Championship. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Crees’ disappointment comes towards the end of her strongest ever winter, multiple top-20 finishes in World Cups punctuating a season where she is on target to reach her goals. “I had two main aims coming into this year: a podium at National Champs, and to be in the top 50 of the [UCI] World Rankings by the end of the season, mostly so I could race the [season-ending] Hoogerheide World Cup, and basically finish the season in the top 50 of the World Rankings,” she notes.
It’s definitely been my best season,” she says without a doubt. “I switched coaches in May and I very much had the focus fully on the ‘cross season
Now 40th in the aforementioned rankings, Crees’ cyclo-cross season began in earnest back in May, a change of coach prompting a new focus on the discipline. “It’s definitely been my best season,” she says without a doubt. “I switched coaches in May and I very much had the focus fully on the ‘cross season. Maybe two years ago, or the year before, I was focusing on gravel racing. This year I did gravel racing, but even in May my focus in training was preparing for the cross season, so I’ve been preparing for this all summer basically.”
After a steady start to the season, Crees has left an impression on the international stage recently, giving her the perfect lead into the National Championships. “My World Cups this year have continuously been progressing,” she explains, the epiphany coming on the famous Namur course in mid-December. “I was on a good one at Namur, where it looked like I was going to finish about 25th, but unfortunately crashed and DNFed out of it. But to back it up with top-30s and top-20s, it’s really helped motivate me as well, and it’s given me a big confidence boost. I was really lucky to have my best World Cup result a week before the Nationals [18th at Dendermonde], and that just gave me such a mental boost, knowing I was in my best form possible.”
Xan Crees (Spectra Racing p/b DAS). Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Suited to the rigours of an hour-long effort, Crees’ technical ability has seen her perform well in the National Circuit and Tour Series in the past, as well as claiming a maiden National title at the Gravel Championships in Suffolk in 2023.
“I think after [the National Championships] weekend, it’s shown what focusing on the ‘cross can do, so unsurprisingly I think ‘cross will remain my main focus,” she explains, turning to her plans for the upcoming year; her calendar for the summer yet to take shape, something she puts down to being truly immersed in the “cyclo-cross buzz.”
Gravel provided a lifeline when I fell a little out of love with road racing. It gave me that way to race in the summer, and I’ve got a lot of love for that
“Gravel provided a lifeline when I fell a little out of love with road racing. It gave me that way to race in the summer, and I’ve got a lot of love for that. Going to those gravel races, a lot of it is social—there are camping races which have been so much fun, and it’s just a good way of engaging with the cycling community whilst also getting some really good races,” she explains, noting that a return to the gravel calendar is almost certain, before turning to the potential impact a season of criterium racing could have—a further example of the highs and lows cycling can provide.
“I joked with my partner about this,” she laughs. “I always love doing the crits. People might not see it, but to me the ‘cross and the crits have quite a lot in common: they’re both around an hour, they’re both really intense, and there is some element, on the more technical courses, of cornering and descending ability. So I think it helps me prepare for the ‘cross season, it gets me sharp and pointy again, but what if I break my collarbone or something in a crit and write off my cross season?!” Crees pauses, as if to delete the thought from her mind. “But I think by the time we get round to the crit season I’ll push that away and want to race them. I think I’ll be doing them again in the summer,” she concludes, positively.
As summer begins to fade, all eyes will be on Crees when the cyclo-cross season returns in August, as she will once again adorn the National Champion’s jersey, a feeling only a few have experienced. “It’s going to be absolutely insane,” she gleams, as she looks to build on her recent success. “It’s one thing thinking you’re getting a few races in it this season, but pretty much up until January, all the races I do will be in the National Champs kit. It really is special.”
Cycling is a sport synonymous with highs and lows, an equilibrium almost every rider will have experienced throughout their career. No stranger to this sensation is the newly crowned National Cyclo-cross Champion Xan Crees, who spoke to The British Continental after a rollercoaster fortnight. Achieving her dream by seeing off a stellar field containing some of the sport’s biggest talents as she soloed to a memorable victory at Gravesend’s Cyclopark, she would learn only days later that she would not be representing Great Britain at next month’s World Championships in Liévin, France; the eleven-strong squad bereft of any representation in the Elite Women’s category.
“Honestly, it was absolutely surreal,” the 24-year-old recalls, describing the final stages of her National Championship triumph, where she found herself alone at the head of the race, leading from the early stages after a nervy start for the field on the technical Kent course. “It was quite funny because at the start of the race I ended up accidentally—I say accidentally—taking the lead early on. And I was like, well, this is good, I can always say I’ve led the National Championships!” she laughs, her aim at the start of the day to claim a medal, having just missed out on the elite podium multiple times.
As the race progressed, Crees looked to be in with an excellent chance of achieving her aim, building a solid advantage over the field with Movistar’s prodigious talent Cat Ferguson. “A little bit later I thought, OK, there’s quite a big gap now, I’m probably going to get the podium,” she continues. “It was over halfway through the race where suddenly my mindset actually shifted and went, OK, I want to win this race, how do I win this race?”
Crees went all in as she moved clear of her rival, setting up a thrilling finale as the finish line approached. “I was trying to not think too much about things like that,” she replies when asked if what was at stake played on her mind in the closing stages. “The main thing was I raced a really calm, controlled race, and I was just trying to think, keep it smooth, keep it going, you’re going really well. I don’t know what it was, but my head was just in the right place on that day and I just stayed in this calm, very focused zone which definitely helped, especially in the last few laps.”
A relative veteran of the Spectra Racing p/b DAS team, Crees got the chance to debut the coveted jersey the following day in Belgium, something she found helped her quickly come to terms with her achievement. “It was really cool and really exciting to be there in the champs kit, and in cyclo-cross it’s a tradition that the national champs do that first race after the Championships, which is Otegem,” she explains. “I got to wear the stripes pretty much instantly. I think having that first race so soon kind of helped it sink in a bit—you turn up and get announced as National Champion, it’s kind of thrown in your face very quickly.”
Sitting on the grid less than 24 hours after crossing the line in Gravesend, however, brought its own set of challenges for Crees. “It wasn’t my finest moment on the bike,” she admits. “I got there and was like, I’m so excited to race, but I’m also very aware I’m not actually ready to race at the same time! After the race [on Sunday], obviously I had to do interviews and stuff—it was like five hours after the race before I actually ate anything—so to try and race the next day, I was already way set back. Anything that could have gone wrong went wrong on that Monday race, but in my head I was like that’s fine because it all went right on Sunday.”
If those 24 hours represented Crees’ high, the announcement of the Great Britain team for the World Championships in France brought the low; the eleven-rider list notable for its omission of Crees, and any other riders in the Elite Women’s category.
“Obviously, not being selected is slightly disappointing. As a rider, when you start your season it’s always what you want to achieve,” explains Crees, who knew from the outset selection was ultimately out of her hands due to a controversial selection criterion based on a rider’s podium chances and future potential. “Obviously, being aware of the selection criteria prior, I was always aware early in the year—even with a great year like I’ve had—selection was unlikely. I even joked with a teammate quite early on that I could win National Champs and I still wouldn’t get to the Worlds, and unfortunately that has rung true.”
Crees, a popular rider among fans, has since found herself propelled into the centre of a campaign to change the selection criteria, noting herself the scale of the engagement and emotion from the public in relation to the absence of British riders, and in particular the National Champion, in the Elite Women’s category.
“What’s happened this year has happened,” she reflects, feeling no malice towards the governing body. “The selections were made based on the criteria they have, and I do not envy anyone who has had to select the riders because I’m aware they’re in a really hard position.
“It is a shame we’re not going to have women’s representation in the elite category, just as it’s a shame we won’t see any under-23 men attending this year,” she continues, turning her attention to changing the criteria for the good of the sport in Britain as a whole.
“The more riders we have, the more we get a chance for people to actually see, ‘Oh look, there’s somebody there, I can achieve that, I can do that too’. I think as a rider one of the things you want most is to inspire and encourage more people to join. The field sizes in women’s races have grown massively over the last few years and that’s been great, and the more women we have racing, the more we’re going to continue to see young girls, and other women, take it up and the grassroots level is going to grow.
“I think the thing as riders that we want to change, and push to change, is the [selection] criteria, because the cyclo-cross criteria at the moment are basically Olympic-level selection criteria for a non-Olympic, non-funded discipline. If we want to continue to grow the sport, OK, we don’t want to send someone who’s going to get lapped on the first lap because that’s not a great look for anyone, but I think we want to change the criteria so it’s a little bit less harsh so we can have more representation, and so we can have more riders achieving the results. By having that pathway, the younger riders can see, this is a rider I’ve seen at the National Trophy, or winning the National Championship, and I can see they’ve gone on to do this, they can aspire to do the same themselves.”
Crees’ disappointment comes towards the end of her strongest ever winter, multiple top-20 finishes in World Cups punctuating a season where she is on target to reach her goals. “I had two main aims coming into this year: a podium at National Champs, and to be in the top 50 of the [UCI] World Rankings by the end of the season, mostly so I could race the [season-ending] Hoogerheide World Cup, and basically finish the season in the top 50 of the World Rankings,” she notes.
Now 40th in the aforementioned rankings, Crees’ cyclo-cross season began in earnest back in May, a change of coach prompting a new focus on the discipline. “It’s definitely been my best season,” she says without a doubt. “I switched coaches in May and I very much had the focus fully on the ‘cross season. Maybe two years ago, or the year before, I was focusing on gravel racing. This year I did gravel racing, but even in May my focus in training was preparing for the cross season, so I’ve been preparing for this all summer basically.”
After a steady start to the season, Crees has left an impression on the international stage recently, giving her the perfect lead into the National Championships. “My World Cups this year have continuously been progressing,” she explains, the epiphany coming on the famous Namur course in mid-December. “I was on a good one at Namur, where it looked like I was going to finish about 25th, but unfortunately crashed and DNFed out of it. But to back it up with top-30s and top-20s, it’s really helped motivate me as well, and it’s given me a big confidence boost. I was really lucky to have my best World Cup result a week before the Nationals [18th at Dendermonde], and that just gave me such a mental boost, knowing I was in my best form possible.”
Suited to the rigours of an hour-long effort, Crees’ technical ability has seen her perform well in the National Circuit and Tour Series in the past, as well as claiming a maiden National title at the Gravel Championships in Suffolk in 2023.
“I think after [the National Championships] weekend, it’s shown what focusing on the ‘cross can do, so unsurprisingly I think ‘cross will remain my main focus,” she explains, turning to her plans for the upcoming year; her calendar for the summer yet to take shape, something she puts down to being truly immersed in the “cyclo-cross buzz.”
“Gravel provided a lifeline when I fell a little out of love with road racing. It gave me that way to race in the summer, and I’ve got a lot of love for that. Going to those gravel races, a lot of it is social—there are camping races which have been so much fun, and it’s just a good way of engaging with the cycling community whilst also getting some really good races,” she explains, noting that a return to the gravel calendar is almost certain, before turning to the potential impact a season of criterium racing could have—a further example of the highs and lows cycling can provide.
“I joked with my partner about this,” she laughs. “I always love doing the crits. People might not see it, but to me the ‘cross and the crits have quite a lot in common: they’re both around an hour, they’re both really intense, and there is some element, on the more technical courses, of cornering and descending ability. So I think it helps me prepare for the ‘cross season, it gets me sharp and pointy again, but what if I break my collarbone or something in a crit and write off my cross season?!” Crees pauses, as if to delete the thought from her mind. “But I think by the time we get round to the crit season I’ll push that away and want to race them. I think I’ll be doing them again in the summer,” she concludes, positively.
As summer begins to fade, all eyes will be on Crees when the cyclo-cross season returns in August, as she will once again adorn the National Champion’s jersey, a feeling only a few have experienced. “It’s going to be absolutely insane,” she gleams, as she looks to build on her recent success. “It’s one thing thinking you’re getting a few races in it this season, but pretty much up until January, all the races I do will be in the National Champs kit. It really is special.”
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
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