Jenny Copnall, from East Barnet, has been selected to ride for the England mountain bike team in the Commonwealth Games at Manchester on July 29.

Jenny has been among Britain's leading riders consistently in recent years.

She is keeping fit in Canada, where she is contesting two rounds of the World Cup.

In the first round on Sunday at Mount St Anne, Quebec, Jenny finished 26th, her highest position since 1998. She is hoping to do even better when she takes part in the second North American round at Grouse Mountain, Vancouver, on Sunday.

This year she is racing in the colours of the Motorex-Bianchi team, one of the best in the world. This means she has excellent support at World Cup events, and also gets the opportunity to ride on the very finest equipment.

Jenny says the Commonwealth Games mountain bike circuit at Rivington Park should suit her fine, with its good mixture of long climbs and rocky descending.

The England team will be staying close to the course from Tuesday July 23, until the race so that they can attend the opening ceremony two days later and practise on the course.

"I am confident that I will do well," said Jenny.

July 3, 2002 16:00