By Marcus Crawley

Tracy_Moseley_mountain_biking_12-08-11August 18 - British Cycling has announced the team selected to represent Great Britain in the downhill, four cross and trials disciplines at the 2011 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.


The Championships are due to place in Champéry, Switzerland, from August 31 to September 4 and the riders representing Britain in the Cross Country and Relay events were announced last month.

Current world champion Tracy Moseley (pictured) will be looking to defend her title in the downhill event and has also been selected for the relay, an event which scores Olympic qualifying points for Britain.

Steve Peat, the 2010 world champion, and Gee Atherton, the World Cup Series champion last year, will both be looking to put in strong performances in the elite men's category.

Junior rider Manon Carpenter is currently leading the Junior World Cup series, while both the junior men riders have had a fantastic World Cup season and they are all looking on good form ahead of the World Championships.

Fionn Griffiths will represent Britain in the four cross having had a podium performance this year.

In the trials, James Hyland has bounced back from an ankle injury to make his mark on the British scene.

British Cycling Performance Manager Shane Sutton (pictured) said: "We have a massive pool of mountain bike talent in Great Britain and this is reflected in the size of the squad we have selected for the World Championships.

Shane_Sutton_Performance_Manager_British_Cycling_12-08-11"The Downhill guys perform consistently well year-on-year and it's exciting to see the young talent, like Danny Hart, up there on the podium alongside the best elite riders in the world.

"From an Olympic perspective, I believe we're gaining momentum as we approach 2012 and we've seen some promising performances from all the riders.

"Annie Last in particular has done the country proud by riding up an age category this year in the World Cup series and recently winning the silver medal at the under-23 Euros.

"For the World Championships, she must ride within her under-23 category and it would be great to see her back on the World Champs podium like she was last year."

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