Praise for South Africa's MTB World Cup
29 May 2009
The International Cycling Union (UCI) has given high praise in its report on the Mountain Bike World Cup held in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa last month.
The 15-page report heaped praise on the organisers, the city of Pietermaritzburg, the region of KwaZulu-Natal and the local mountain biking community for the success of the new event, a strong indication that it will be re-awarded to Pietermaritzburg in 2010.
Although the UCI identified some areas that could be improved on, none were of major significance. "We knew there were some areas that were not 100% and we had already identified these elements in our internal meetings, so the report by the UCI held no surprises for us," event director Alec Lenferna said in a statement this week.
'Very satisfied'
"It was the first time that a Triple event (Downhill, 4X and Cross-country) had ever been staged in Africa, so we had no template to work off really, and we are very satisfied with what has come out of the report."
Among the areas that received high praise from the UCI was the level of support from the public. Approximately 17 000 enthusiasts streamed into the competition arena adjacent to the Cascades Shopping Centre on the north-west perimeter of the city over the three days.
The success of South Africans Burry Stander (third in the men's cross-country) and Greg Minnaar (winner of the men's downhill) no doubt helped stir some patriotic spirit among the fans that lined the course - a positive element that certainly didn't go unnoticed.
Income generated
It has been estimated that the event generated at least R19-million for the city and surrounding areas, with more than R15.5-million spent on accommodation, restaurants, and in the retail sector. The organisers also spent more than R2.1-million on local services and infrastructure providers.
The event received hundreds of millions of rands worth of media exposure, both locally and abroad, in a combination of print, online, radio and TV. Almost 100 media workers were accredited for the event, which included 48 international journalists, 36 photographers and 19 TV- and film-crew members.
Initial monitoring results supplied within 10 days of the event showed more than 125 hours of international television broadcast time was generated in 59 countries. This number is expected to double once the final measurement is complete.
Huge website presence
The television coverage was supplemented by a huge online presence, with event news on a wide range of international and local websites, and live broadcasts on www.freecaster.tv.
"Mountain bike racing has coincided – and evolved – with the computer generation and has a massive international following via the internet medium," Lenferna said.
"An example of the online interest in the Pietermaritzburg event is the 30 000 hits per hour during the racing period on Canadian Cyclist – in the early hours of the morning Canadian time!"
Finaly evaluation
According to Lenferna, a final evaluation of all the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events staged around the world will take place at the UCI's management board meeting this week.
"I believe a recommendation has been made already that Pietermaritzburg be included in the 2010 worldwide programme. We'll know for certain when the UCI releases its 2010 racing schedule on 19 June.
"We are very confident that we will be staging the event again in 2010, and the dates that have been set aside are 9–11 April."
World Championships application
Lenferna also revealed that the UCI have asked him and his team to put in a bid for the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.
"The Mountain Bike World Championships is something that was always in our plans, but we and the UCI officials had to see how we handled a World Cup event first. We have been asked to submit an expression of interest letter for the 2013 UCI MTB World Championships, which I did last week."
The MTB World Championships is a much larger event than the MTB World Cup, with many more participants and competition over a longer time period, which translates into a greater economic impact on the city in particular, and the region as a whole.
2010 UCI BMX World Championships
Lenferna and his team are already preparing for the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships, which they will be staging in Pietermaritzburg in July next year.
Part of the preparation for that event, which will host over 3 000 participants, is round two of the 2009 UCI BMX Supercross World Cup, which is being held in Pietermaritzburg this August.
For more information on the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, visit www.bmxworldcupsa.co.za.
SAinfo reporter
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