A major draw card for the South African hosting of the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships from 26 August to 1 September is the hosting of the UCI Masters MTB World Champs a week before the Elite event, from 21 to 25 August.
The Masters event is open to all non-elite cross-country (XCO) and downhill (DHI) participants and proves a hot favourite amongst the team mechanics and support crews of the elite teams that will be racing the following week. Better still, there is no qualification process for cyclists wishing to participate in the Masters World Champs, and affords a perfect opportunity for many South Africans to compete on home soil.
For the first time this year, the Masters event will now be held in the same country as the host of the elite world cup events going forward.
Entry for the Masters World Champs will be done exclusively online through the CSAMS system, which is linked to Cycling SA, and entries will officially open on Monday 18 March 2013 and close on Wednesday 31 July 2013.
An early entry system is being put in place for South African riders and this will be communicated accordingly. No late entries will be accepted.
Entry Fees – UCI Masters MTB World Championships:
- XCO: € 75.00
- DHI: € 85.00
- Both: € 130.00
Masters will need to apply for a Cycling South Africa Domestic Racing Licence, which will be upgraded to an international racing licence for the World Championship event. It must be noted that any rider who has UCI points on the UCI ranking system on the 1st August 2013 will not be allowed to enter the UCI Masters World Championships.
Local organising committee’s Alec Lenferna says: “We have already received worldwide confirmation of Masters competitors from as far as Argentina, Brazil, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada and Russia.”
The provisional schedule for the Masters event has been drawn up and sent to the UCI (International Cycling Union) for ratification and will be communicated as soon as it has been signed off.
A large portion of the Masters XCO course was recently tested at The Cycle Fest event that was staged at Cascades MTB Park in Pietermaritzburg. “The track was found to be challenging yet rideable by all the age groups and skills levels. Intensive work is being carried out at the Cascades venue to prepare the area to receive the world’s best elite and amateur riders,” continued Lenferna.
“All riders are encouraged to enter and compete as this is conceivably the last chance for a long time that the event will be staged in SA.”
At their recent Management Meeting in the United States, the UCI recently confirmed that the 4X (four-cross) event would not be taking place as part of the World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, but that it would be held in Austria. The event schedule for the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships can be found here.
Accommodation in Pietermaritzburg is moving fast with most of the elite teams having already confirmed their bookings. For any accommodation enquiries, please contact Nathan Levendall at Ecco Tours by email nlevendall@eccotours.biz.
For further detailed information, please visit the official event website www.mtbworldchamps.co.za.
