Southern African MTB XCO and DHI Cup Series dates

The 2014 South African mountain bike racing scene had an early start when the Western Cape hosted the African Continental Championships for the cross-country (XCO) and downhill (DHI) disciplines in January.

Looking ahead, the Southern African Mountain Bike Cup Series dates have been finalised for the 2014 season, presenting four series events, plus a once-off SA Championship event. The XCO races are UCI category 1 for the Elite Men and Elite Women, while the DHI race for Elite Men is UCI category 2.

Juniors will also earn UCI points as part of new UCI Junior World Series. This will only be applicable from Round 2 of the Southern African Mountain Bike Cup Series, in Lesotho. With the Junior categories taken out of the UCI MTB World Cups (except for two events held in conjunction with the UCI MTB World Cup), Juniors will now participate in their own world series, comprising 19 events. You will find all these events published on the UCI website at the following link: http://www.uci.ch/te…TY2MDA&LangId=1 (Use the search button and add the text “UCI Junior Series” either in category “World” (for the two events hold in conjuncture with UCI MTB World Cup) or “All international competitions” (for the other events).

Dates and Venues for the 2014 Southern African Mountain Bike Cup Series:

#1: 14-15 March — Cascades, Pietermaritzburg [KwaZulu-Natal]

#2: 19-20 April — Afriski, Lesotho *

#3: 24-25 May — Mankele, Nelspruit [Mpumalanga] *

#4: 21-22 June — Hayterdale Trails, Addo [Port Elizabeth] *

*Events that are part of the UCI Junior World Series

Not part of the series, but generally subject to the same requirements and rules, is the South African National MTB Championships:

19-20 July — venue to be confirmed

An exciting inclusion into this year’s fixtures is the announcement of Lesotho hosting the second leg of the series, thus making the series known as the Southern African MTB Cup Series. Afriski, a ski resort in Lesotho, is making rapid progress to put together a top-notch course for XCO and DHI racers, with the assistance of Nic Floros (World Championship and World Cup XCO track designer) and Greg Minnaar (current Downhill World Champion).

Another exciting addition is the provision for certain Para-cycling categories. Cycling SA Para-cycling Commission Director Dr. Mike Burns says: “It was very experimental last year, and the organisers accommodated the Para-cycling categories into their mountain bike events pretty well. This year, we should bed it down firmer.”

Two Para-cycling categories have been accepted. The C1-C3 classes and the C4-C5 classes will compete as a single integrated group. Amputees/limb-affected riders and those with cerebral palsy-type disabilities will be categorised within those classes.

The racing categories and times are in line with the 2014 UCI rules (mainly that Elite and U-23 race together), as well as the maximum and minimum racing times. Important to note is that due to the quantity of riders in each group, the 80% rule for pull-off will not be applied in the series; instead, the standard practice of the “race is completed when the leader finishes” will be applied. This affords the less experienced riders the opportunity and exposure to continue racing until the winner crosses the finish line.

Image credits: Mylene Paynter