Sport

MTB World Cup to return to SA

22 June 2010

Pietermaritzburg, it can easily be argued, is the home of South African cycling. It has hosted international events backed by the sport's world governing body, the UCI, in road racing, mountain biking and BMX – and things are about to get even better.

The city is preparing to host the UCI BMX World Championships, the largest BMX event outside of the Olympics, at the end of July, and now comes the news that the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup will return to the city in April 2011.

It is wonderful news for South African lovers of all disciplines of mountain biking. The city hosted the opening round of the 2009 UCI World Cup and drew huge crowds. The UCI was thrilled by the support and praised the organisers and the city itself.

Then, in June 2009, came the awful news that the World Cup would not be returning to South Africa in 2010 because Nissan had withdrawn as the title sponsor after the world economic meltdown. After such a successful first event on African soil, it was a painful blow for South African mountain bike lovers.

Now, though, those same people are celebrating and eagerly awaiting the start of the 2011 season. Support at the venue itself will, no doubt, be huge and two South African stars are big reasons for that.

Burry Stander

In the 2009 event, Burry Stander finished third in the elite cross-country, while Greg Minnaar, racing in front of his home town fans, thrilled them with a superb final run to claim a very popular victory in the elite downhill.

Both men continue to shine on the world stage and will be strong contenders for victory in 2011.

Stander was crowned the UCI under-21 cross-country world champion last year and claimed his first UCI World Cup win in Champery, Switzerland. He currently occupies fourth place in the UCI's elite cross-country world rankings.

His results this year include a fifth place in Dalby Forest, 17th in Houffalize and, away from the World Cup events, second in Absa Cape Epic and first in the Sea Otter Classic.

Greg Minnaar

Minnaar has for a long time been one of the world's leading downhill racers. He's a three-time overall World Cup champion (2001, 2005, 2008) and won the World Championships in 2003. In total, he has won 14 World Cup downhill events.

Last year, he just missed out on the World Championships title to his great friend and Santa Cruz Syndicate team-mate Steve Peat by a miniscule five-hundredths-of-a-second.

The easy-going Minnaar is currently top of the UCI Downhill rankings. Sam Hill, who won the overall title in 2009, is in second place.

It's been a good season for Minnaar so far, with a victory in the opening round of the season in Maribor, Slovenia, and third place finishes in Fort William, Scotland, and Lisbon, Portugal.

His victory in Maribor in May came in extremely harsh conditions. Afterwards, he said it was "the hardest course I"ve ever ridden because of the mud and rain."

Conditions in April in Pietermaritzburg are bound to be a lot kinder, but not easy, and riding at home -Stander is also from KwaZulu-Natal, hailing from Port Shepstone on the south coast – will surely inspire Minnaar and Stander to more great performances and, maybe, victory.

South African mountain bike lovers will be counting down the days.



	Greg Minnaar, winner of the men's downhill event at the 2009 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg (Photo: Gary Perkin, MTB World Cup South Africa)



	South Africa's Burry Stander celebrates victory in the under-23 cross country at the UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Canberra, Australia (Photo: UCI Mountain Bike and Trials)