ALL ABOUT Evie

What exactly goes through your mind when you realise you’re going to become a world champion?

“I was just so shocked, and even now it feels like a blur,” says Evie Richards. “I thought about it during the race, and realised, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to win the World Champs!’ I couldn’t believe it.”

For 25-year-old Evie, the ride to the top had originally been in search of hoops rather than rainbow stripes, and started when she was seven. “The whole family was just obsessed with the Olympics,” she explains. “We’d go on holiday and watch everything, from the opening ceremony, all through the night.” At that time, mountain biking wasn’t on Evie’s radar: “I just wanted to represent my country in a sport, I didn’t care what it was. I wanted to wear a GB top.”

MOUNTAIN BIKING WASN’T ON EVIE’S RADAR. “I JUST WANTED TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY, I DIDN’T CARE WHAT IT WAS. I WANTED TO WEAR A GB TOP”

After trying numerous activities, Evie decided that shin pads, rather than skinsuits, were her path to becoming an Olympian. “I got into hockey, was moving up the tiers and trialling for England. I thought