New MTB honours launched with Rainbow Challenge

With the UCI Mountain Bike Marathon World Championships heading for the Cascades MTB Park at the end of June 2014, a brand new competition has been launched that allows amateur veteran and masters riders to compete for honours in their respective age groups on the same course that will decide the world titles.

Image credit: Gameplan Media

Modelled on the popular UCI World Cycling Tour concept that has placed world titles within the reach of amateur road cycling enthusiasts, the Rainbow Challenge will create opportunities for mountain bikers to qualify for a day of racing for age group honours on the day before the marathon world champs title deciders.

South African amateur road cyclists have embraced the UWCT concept, and every year dozens of road racers ages over 30 years of age take part in UWCT qualifying events with the hope of securing a berth in the UWCT Final, and a shot at winning the UCI rainbow stripes jersey presented to the world champion in each age group.

Similarly, local mountain bikers rallied to enter the Masters MTB World Championships which, for the first time, was held in conjunction with the UCI MTB and Trials World Championships in Pietermaritzburg in August 2013.

For the new Rainbow Challenge Series, mountain bikers will secure qualification to take part in the Rainbow Series title deciders by racing one of the qualifying events, most of which will be well established popular races in each region.

So far the Sappi Mankele MTB Challenge in Mpumalanga and the Sappi Karkloof Classic in KwaZulu-Natal have been confirmed as qualifying events, with other major events in other regions soon to be added to this list.

Riders that have secured their qualification will be able to race in their age groups, in five year bands starting with 30-34 age groups for men and women on Saturday 28 June, the day before the elite marathon world championships at the Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.

In addition, amateur younger riders will also be eligible to take part, in the so-called Challenger 16-29 year age groups, but will not be eligible for titles of the Rainbow Challenge jerseys.

“Mountain bikers showed around the last World Champs that they want to be able to race on the same course that elite riders use for the world title deciders,” said Cycling South Africa’s General manager Mike Bradley.

“The privilege of hosting these major international events brings with it an opportunity for local riders to participate, and test themselves on the same courses that they will be able to see the very best in the world racing on.The Rainbow Challenge concept is brand new, and all about creating exactly this sort of opportunity around the UCI MTB Marathon World Champs in June 2014. Our style of MTB racing is far more geared toward marathon than cross-country, so we anticipate that there will be a healthy take up of the offer to be part of that exciting weekend at The Cascades MTB Park,” said Bradley.

Bradley stressed that the rules and mechanics of qualification and the full list of qualifiers was still being worked on, and urged keen riders to keep an eye on the Rainbow Series website in the coming weeks.