Anna Kay
Elite CX
Anna was a sporty child, she played in every club and school team that she could, including Karate, Tennis, Athletics, Gymnastics and Football. But it was Football that she flourished in at a young age. She played football from when she was about 7 until 14. Anna joined her local club Leam Rangers and then started playing competitively when she was a bit older, briefly playing for Sunderland Acadamy. But it was at age 14 when she had to make the decision to use her Sundays for Football or Cycling and she chose Cycling, and so started, at age 14, at Hetton Hawks Cycling Club.
Anna would always go Mountain Biking with her dad on Sundays and having Beamish Woods and Hamsterley Forest and trail centre right on her doorstep meant for some brilliant riding. Anna cycled the Coast to Coast cycle route with her dad when she was 13 and this opened her eyes to how amazing the world of cycling is. Then starting at Hetton and being able to ride this again but with friends amplified her love for cycling even more.
Anna progressed through the club, making friends for life and enjoying riding and learning. Her first proper race season started when she was 15. From then on she raced most weekends MTB in the summer and CX in the winter. She was lucky to ride for Nutcracker racing, Edco COntinental race team, Storey racing before reaching Experza Footlogix - which is now known as Star Casino Race Team.
Anna said it was the year 2017, her last year of A-Levels, where she made a new years resolution to take her cycling and racing seriously. So she did, and the 2017 MTB season she won the National overall mtb series. Then achieved her first National CX Elite podium in the 2017/18 cyclocross season, before winning her first bronze medal at the CX National CHamptionships and earning a place at her first World Championaships! After this was a bit of a wurl wind.. Riding for storey racing racing the Tour de Yorkshire and eventually moving too Experza Footlogix (Star Casino Race Team as its known now).
She has had a very successful 2 seasons with Star Casino Race Team. Becoming National u23 CX Champion in 2019 and finishing 2nd in the Elites, and achieving 5th place at the World Championships. Into this most recent season achieving her first Elite podium at a World Cup in Rd3 Bern, holding the u23 World series leaders jersey for 3 races, silver at European champs, bronze at world champs and really making a name for herself among the Belgian and Dutch favourites on the Cyclocross scene.
Anna also loves to show her skills in a race and is one of the few women who can bunny hop the hurdles, even being one of the shortest women in the cyclocross peloton too….!
