Preview of
UCI BMX World Champs
Pietermaritzburg - The UCI BMX World Championships get under way at the
Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday with a large South
African contingent eager to satisfy the huge expectations of their local
fans.
1100 riders from 37 nations have entered the competition, racing on a
world first track that sees an elite track alongside the cruiser class
track, and spanning an endurance testing 385 metres from start to finish.
South African Olympic hero Sfiso Nhlapo has been mobbed by fans since his
arrival in Pietermaritzburg, and has tried to balance his obligations to
his supporters, and staying focused on his preparations for a world senior
title in the elite racing on Saturday afternoon.
Nhlapo, or "Skizzo" as he is known to his followers, heads up a South
African entry of 300 riders, eager to make an impression on the UCI
challenge, Cruiser and World Championship races, win medals and earn the
prized "world number" rankings.
The action starts with two days of competition in the Challenge classes,
in classes ranging from the Under 13 age groups to master classes, with
the elite riders getting their turn to practice on the unique layout later
in each afternoon.
the attention turns to the elite riders on Saturday, when the Royal
Showgrounds main arena will become a cauldron on excitement as the best
elite riders in the world start working their way through the heats (or "motos")
through to quarter and semi-finals until the lineup for the climax Main
Finals is settled.
Adding extra pressure to the elite riders is the added onus of critical
Olympic qualification points that will be awarded at this years world
championships for the first time.
"There's no doubt there will be more pressure on the riders, as this event
carried the most points in the whole Olympic qualification process," said
the UCI's head of gravity disciplines Johan Lindstrom.
The elite field has been reshaped by a spate of accidents in training.
South African pacesetter Dean Holdstock's dreams of making the men's elite
main final evaporated into the dust of Alrode in Gauteng when he injured
vertebrae in a crash at the final leg of the SA champs.
A frustrated Holdstock is on the mend, and will be in the stands to show
his support to the South African team taking part in the competition.
There will be a new name on the world championship trophy, following
confirming that US ace Donny "DR" Robinson was ruled out of flying to
South Africa to defend his title after falling badly in training and
re-injuring his lungs and ribs.
That same crash at the US High performance training base at Chula Vista
left his US teammate Kyle Bennett, who was rushed to hospital suffering
two fractures in his left collar bone, an AC joint separation on his right
shoulder, three fractured ribs, a bruised lung, a broken cheek bone and a
laceration to his liver in the crash on the final straight.
The Latvian juggernaut Maris "Bombis" Strombergs has been the global
pacesetter in the elite men since winning the coveted Olympic gold in
Beijing, and has regularly won Supercross and international titles riding
the wave of his Olympic fame in 2008.
However the BMX world is talking up the chances of Australian ace Sam
Willoughby. Since ruling the world as a junior the speedster from Adelaide
has taken the step up to senior elite racing with ease, and the 19 year
old comes into the World Champs with the UCI number one ranking, following
a stellar season.
In the elite women's field, expect to see the Tricolor flag flying in the
stadium when Laëtitia le Corguillé appears at the top of the massive eight
mete high elite start ramp.
She will be put under pressure by Australian ace Caroline Buchanan,
Colombia's Mariana Pajon, US champ Alise Post and top Kiwi racer Sarah
Walker, as the increasingly competitive women's classes gradually progress
through to the main final.
The junior men's class is sizing up to be a highly coimpetitive struggle
between the class riders like the Americans Connor Fields and e Corben
Sharra, and Canadas Tory Nyhaug (CAN), while the girls 2010 world title
holder may come from Dutch star Merle Van Benthem or American Brooke
Crain.
The weather forecast for the weekend is excellent, while there is a small
chance of drizzle on the opening day.
The event will enjoy massive global exposure, as the TV coverage is
screened to a record number of global networks, including SuperSport
in South Africa plus Eurosport2, ORF Sport+, DSF
/ Sport1,
Sport
+ France, BSkyB, IEXTV, TV3 Latvia, Proactive TV, Extreme Sports Channel,
Universal Sports, ESPN Brasil, ESPN International, Eurosport Asia Pacific,
SBS Korea, SBS Australia, Cycling Image Japan, IEC Sports ' Road to
London', TN Produccions Spain, SNTV, and Freecaster.tv.
Spectators at the Royal Showgrounds will be entertained by the music from
DJ Uncle R, just back from performing in Ibiza. Entry is R35 per day
The UCI BMX World Championships takes place at the Royal Showgrounds in
Pietermaritzburg from 29 July to 1 August. More information can be found
at www.bmxworldchampspmb.co.za
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Thursday 29 July
09h00 UCI BMX World Challenge 13 and Under to Main Finals
14h30 UCI BMX World Challenge 13 and Under Medal ceremony
15h00 Elite Women and junior women practice
16h00 Junior men practice
17h00 Elite Men practice
Friday 30 July
09h00 UCI BMX World Challenge 14 and over, master classes to Main Finals
12h00 Autograph signing session
14h00 UCI BMX World Challenge 14 and over, master classes medal ceremony
14h30 Elite women, junior women practice
15h00 Junior men practice
15h30 Elite men practice
16h00 Junior men, junior women time trials
Saturday 31 July
09h00 Elite riders warm-up
10h00 Elite men and Elite women time trials
12h25 Junior men warm up
13h30 UCI BMX World Championships - junior women, junior men, elite women,
elite men
motos to main finals
17h10 UCI BMX World Championships - junior women, junior men, elite women,
elite men medal ceremony
Sunday 1 August
09h00 World Challenge Cruiser 12, 13-14,15-16,17-29,30-34,35-39,40-44,45+
motos to main Finals
14h30 World Challenge Cruiser 12, 13-14,15-16,17-29,30-34,35-39,40-44,45+
medal ceremony
15h00 World Championship Cruiser Junior Women, junior, elite women, elite
motos to main Finals
18h00 World Championship Cruiser Junior Women, junior, elite women, elite
medal ceremony
18h15 Closing ceremony
ENDS
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