Xan Crees is the British nationwide cyclo-cross champion for 2025. Driving for Spectra Racing p/b DAS, she has competed in among the high cyclo-cross occasions on the planet. Crees can also be a former British gravel champion.
That is a part of our Q&A sequence, the place we ask some acquainted faces some massive and small questions.
How did you get into biking?
I used to be a type of who was impressed by the London 2012 Olympics. I did plenty of totally different sports activities – I did netball, swimming and blended martial arts – however hadn’t actually discovered my sport but. I noticed the Olympics and joined my native membership, Derby Mercury, they usually all the time pushed cyclo-cross, as a result of it is actually accessible.
Initially I assumed truly the highway was for me. I did a highway season, after which I did a ‘cross season, and I simply fell in love with it.
What first appealed to you about cyclo-cross?
The very very first thing that introduced me into cyclo-cross was the group sense. I in all probability did not realise it as a 13-year-old that it was the group, however it was the truth that I used to be on the market using with my associates, everybody was pleasant, all of the dad and mom had been cheering on everybody. You felt supported as a rider that folks had been keen you to do effectively.
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The cyclo-cross race each weekend was a little bit of a social. It was an opportunity to go see my associates and discuss to individuals, in addition to have a motorcycle race.
Do you keep in mind your first ever race?
My precise first ever race was a Go-Journey race. I feel the course was in all probability 300m, if that. It was in all probability a few 10-minute bike race.
My first ever cyclo-cross race was a Notts Derby spherical, and I keep in mind it fairly effectively. I ended up in third, however with fourth place very shut behind, and I dropped my chain coming as much as the road. Although I might solely simply began cyclo-cross and hadn’t had a lot observe, I simply grabbed the bike and ran to the end line. Once I suppose again to that, I feel perhaps I used to be all the time naturally going to return and do that, as a result of I had some sort of cyclo-cross intuition.
(Picture credit score: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
You gained your first elite nationwide cyclo-cross title final weekend. Has it sunk in now?
It is nonetheless fairly surreal, to be sincere. I feel everybody noticed on the day how emotional it was, and that sort of carried on. I wakened the subsequent day in Belgium to do a race, and I used to be just about crying inside the first 5 minutes of waking up once more. Everybody racing at a excessive degree all the time goals of getting a Nationwide Championship title, and it is simply come at a degree in my profession the place I in all probability wasn’t anticipating it. It simply is totally insane.
Inform us a bit about your bike set-up for the British Nationwide Cyclo-cross Championships.
I used to be using a Pearson On and On, which is definitely a gravel bike, however it has confirmed itself time and time once more in ‘cross races that it may possibly meet these calls for. I used to be on the Schwalbe X-One Chew tyres, that are just about the grippiest, muddiest tyres you could possibly ever think about. Actually, they had been excellent. Having a tyre that grippy provides you a lot confidence. I knew when it was icy that I used to be going to be working that tyre.
I additionally had a 1x set-up on my bike, as a result of I want it in a ‘cross race, and in addition a series guard, as a result of chain drops are an absolute nightmare, particularly in a muddy race like that.
We had the Ere Analysis Omnia wheels, which are literally highway wheels, however once more, they’ve completely held up when it comes to being on a ‘cross bike as effectively. Everybody’s on the lookout for pace.
You beforehand gained the British Nationwide Gravel Championships in 2023. Was {that a} self-discipline you knew effectively?
Funnily, once I began doing gravel, I used to be truly planning on doing mountain biking that 12 months, however sadly we had been struggling to discover a mountain bike in my dimension that I might be aggressive on [ed. Crees is 5’3″].
I wished to do one thing different than simply highway racing that 12 months, so I took a gravel bike, did my first UCI Gravel Sequence and completed fourth general, third in my class. I did one other race in Sweden, after which went into the Gravel Nationwide Championships having solely accomplished three races. I discovered myself fairly at residence with the switch from ‘cross, and all of it just about got here collectively on the day.
(Picture credit score: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com)
Who was your biking hero rising up?
The principle one for me was all the time Marianne Vos, as a result of she was so spectacularly good at the whole lot she did. She has titles in just about each biking self-discipline now.
The opposite one was Mark Cavendish. Clearly being British, he was a type of you truly bought to observe on TV, significantly once I was youthful. We did not get to see that a lot ladies’s racing on TV, so he was a type of ones that you just bought to see always.
What’s the very best piece of recommendation that you’ve got acquired in your profession?
I had a good friend who was a vet[eran] racer and was extremely good on a motorcycle, however I noticed him at a race as soon as and he was so nervous. To me, for those who had been nervous, that meant perhaps you had been doubting your self, and he rotated to me and mentioned: “It is alright to be nervous, as a result of for those who’re nervous, it reveals that you really want this. Should you’re not nervous, then you do not care about it sufficient.”
That allowed me to see that if I am nervous pre-race, it is okay, it is as a result of I need it, and I can nonetheless carry out effectively on these nerves.
What do you do alongside racing?
In the meanwhile I am working three days per week for Hunt Wheels within the customer support and tech group, serving to out our prospects and our riders. We joked within the workplace that I ought to change my e-mail tag line on the backside and add British nationwide cyclo-cross champion to it.