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She spent a spell with Oscar Saiz, former Downhiller and now the Giant XC Pro Team technical trainer, to hone her MTB skills. Her team mates at Giant told me that her dedication and determination to ride the technical features and perfect her style were astonishing and inspirational. She is, without a shadow of a doubt, an incredible talent, but her work ethic is second-to-none. 

Having stated her intent with the overall win at the Cyprus Sunshine Cup in February/March and having swept the floor with her Dutch national competition at Nieuwkuijk and Norg, her appearance at Albstadt for the opening World Cup of the season was greeted with great interest from riders and the cycling world at large. Despite a mid-field gridding and a broken chain, Marianne managed to finish eleventh. I spoke to Marianne after the race and she was humble, pretty happy and pragmatic, as ever. She said she only had two more mountain bike races scheduled for the rest of the year, though she wished it was more.

As it transpired, she got her wish and raced several more times. Marianne is loving mountain biking. That, coupled with her extraordinary talent and dedication, looks set to see her compete in Rio. As it stands, it would be little surprise to see her claim another Olympic gold. 

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Nino was a junior and U23 World Champion and subsequently turned professional in 2007 when he joined the Scott Swisspower team, who he still rides for now. Nino went on to win the 2009, 2012, and 2013 senior World Championships and is the 2010 and 2012 UCI World Cup winner. He won bronze in the 2008 Olympics and was narrowly out-sprinted by Jaroslav Kulhavy in the London 2012 Olympic Games. Next up, gold in Rio? It would be a very popular victory. 

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Oli Beckingsale was a popular and familiar face in UK mountain biking for longer than I can remember. As with any athlete, Beckingsale has had ups and downs in is career: victories and losses, injuries and comebacks. 

As he retires from MTB, having been a professional cyclist since 1998, and enters one last season of cyclocross, Oli can look back on a very impressive palmares -

he was 2001, 2002, 2005 and 2006 British National XCO Champion, he won the National Marathon Championships in 2009 and 2010, won the National series in 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009 - 11, he competed in three Olympic Games and two Commonwealth Games (taking the silver medal for England in 2006,  and finishing twelfth in Beijing in 2008). Oli was ninth at the 2005 World Championships and tenth in 2008, and was sixth at the 2005 European Championships. 

Oli is now parking his racing shoes and sharing his experience and expertize running BW Cycling in Bristol. Best wishes for the future Oli. 

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