![\"2013M4NigelHicks.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-2-0-43133900-1377361695.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nCourse designer Nigel Hicks powered to a remarkable victory in the men’s 30-34 downhill event at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Course designer Nigel Hicks celebrates his gold medal and rainbow striped achievement in men’s 30-34 downhill event at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The South African gold rush started with Rika Olivier powering her way to victory in the women\u2019s 40+ downhill class before Chris Nixon (45-49), Myles Kelsey (40-44) and Nigel Hicks (30-34) got in on the act in the men\u2019s categories.<\/p>\n The strength of France\u2019s downhill competitors is felt at every international competition with this year\u2019s Masters event being no different as Tifenn Vialatte (women\u2019s 40+), Jean-Pierre Bruni (men\u2019s 50-54) and Cyril Meslier (35-39) claimed three of the four remaining golds with Austrian Max Schuster claiming the final top honours of the day in the men\u2019s 55+ division.<\/p>\n Hicks\u2019 victory proved to be one of the most popular feats of the event thus far as the large crowd rallied behind the man responsible for both the masters and elite competitions\u2019 popular courses as he raced to victory ahead of France\u2019s Ludovic Corr\u00e9 and Bazil\u2019s Rogerio Pauli Jnr.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is beyond my wildest dreams!\u201d said an ecstatic Hicks. \u201cI came here hoping for a top three and definitely never ever expected to stand a chance of winning.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBuilding the track over the past few weeks and months meant my training routine went out the window but I was always going to give it my all and things just worked out perfectly for me today.<\/p>\n \u201cToday was all about not making any mistakes and I didn\u2019t make a single one, not one! That is the first time I have ever put a perfect run together and what a perfect way to finish the event off for me!\u201d<\/p>\n Despite having put his life and soul into the preparation of the course Hicks will need to be back out on \u2018the hill\u2019 first thing in the morning, preparing and repairing the track for the elite competition which gets underway on Tuesday.<\/p>\n \u201cThe course is pretty blown out at the moment. It\u2019s rough and there are some pretty big holes so we\u2019ll definitely have get back out there in the morning and start working on it again but that will have to be done with a bit of a hangover after enjoying the moment a little this evening,\u201d chuckled Hicks.<\/p>\n Myles Kelsey dedicated his men’s 40-44 downhill victory at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg to his late father who was the man who introduced him to the sport in PMB many years ago.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Myles Kelsey claimed gold in the men’s 40-44 downhill event at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Kelsey\u2019s 40-44 victory, ahead of USA\u2019s Matt Thompson and Sean Schlebusch of South Africa, carried extra special meaning for the local star.<\/p>\n \u201cMy father passed away in December last year and he was the one who brought me to my first track in Pietermaritzburg all those years ago and introduced me to cycling so I\u2019d like to dedicate the win to him!\u201d said Kelsey. \u201cHe was with me throughout my ride and he definitely gave me extra motivation to do well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI worked so hard for this for the past 13 months or so, so to have won really is special!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFour years ago, at the World Cup here in Pietermaritzburg, I was lying on my back with a broken collar bone in exactly the same place we\u2019re standing today after crashing out on the final jump. So, when I heard the World Champs was going to be held here this year, I knew it was my one and only opportunity to get revenge on the course!<\/p>\n Nixon made the world champion\u2019s rainbow striped jersey his own when the SA national champ flew home ahead of fellow local compatriot Julien Louw and France\u2019s Didier Blondel.<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t have given any more than I did out there today. Never did I think the world champs would be here in South Africa so it\u2019s even sweeter to have won the world champs on home soil,\u201d said Nixon.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have the greatest build up to the event due to work commitments in the past two to three weeks and then the course has changed quite a bit, especially at the top, over the past few days due to the traffic that\u2019s been on it so I was a little tense at the start but once I started I relaxed a little bit and just hit my lines throughout and kept it smooth,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Chris Nixon of South Africa stormed to top spot in the men’s 45-49 downhill event at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Cyril Meslier put in a stellar run to claim his category\u2019s title however the Frenchman was somewhat fortunate to take the title after a superb effort from Brazil\u2019s Sousa Alcides ended his probable title challenge.<\/p>\n Alcides crashed out spectacularly on the renowned \u2018Money Maker\u2019 jump shortly before the finish aftter suffering a rear tyre blow out and was then forced to run up the final obstacle before limping home to eventually claim third and hand Meslier the spoils whilst South Africa\u2019s Robin Rumbelow claimed second.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very happy,\u201d said Meslier afterwards. \u201cI\u2019ve been riding downhill for ten years and BMX for 20 and I\u2019ve been preparing for this race since last year so it\u2019s great to have won.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI did 10-12 runs on the course beforehand so I was confident before today. I crashed in the timed run yesterday but that didn\u2019t worry me because I knew yesterday wasn\u2019t important \u2013 today was what it was all about so I\u2019m very happy!\u201d added the French national champ.<\/p>\n Cyril Meslier (France) claimed gold in the men’s 35-39 downhill event at the UCI MTB Masters World Championships 2013 at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo: Darren Goddard\/Gameplan Media<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Meslier was joined by fellow compatriots Jean-Pierre Bruni, who beat Switzerland\u2019s Benoit Fellay and Jean Fred Tissot to the line, and Tifenn Vialatte, who overcame the challenge of Simone Futter (Switzerland) and Kathryn Fourie of South Africa whilst Max Schuster (Austria) powered to victory ahead of France\u2019s Patrick Sicard and South Africa\u2019s Paul Morris.<\/p>\n Rika Olivier, who soared to victory in the women\u2019s 40+ category, overcame her apprehension of the section of the course which saw her crash out on during training and claim the gold medal ahead of regular local rival Gina Nixon and New Zealand\u2019s Sharon Heap.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n