Ideal cool and cloudy conditions await competitors and spectators at the UCI BMX World Championships, which get under way at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg on Thursday, with a large South African contingent eager to satisfy local fans.
The competition features 1 100 riders from 37 countries, racing on a world-first, one-of-a-kind track that features an elite track alongside the cruiser class track. It measures an endurance-testing 385 metres from start to finish.
South African Olympic hero Sifiso Nhlapo has been mobbed by fans since his arrival in Pietermaritzburg. It has been a balancing act for him, trying to fulfil his obligations to his supporters, while at the same time staying focused on his preparations for a shot at the world senior title in the elite racing on Saturday afternoon.
South African entry
Nhlapo, or "Skizo" 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, ranging from the under-13 age groups to master classes, with the elite riders getting their turn to practice on the unique layout later on each afternoon.
The attention turns to the elite riders on Saturday, when the Royal Showgrounds' main arena is sure to become a cauldron of excitement as the best elite riders in the world start working their way through the heats (known as "motos") to the quarter- and semi-finals until the lineup for the finals is decided.
Olympic qualification points
Adding extra pressure to the elite riders is the battle for critical Olympic qualification points that will be awarded at this year's world championships for the first time.
"There's no doubt there will be more pressure on the riders, as this event carries 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 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.
New world champion
There will also be a new name on the world championship trophy, following confirmation that American ace Donny "DR" Robinson, who was recovering from a serious injury, has been 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 USA teammate Kyle Bennett with 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. Not surprisingly, he was rushed to hospital.
The Latvian juggernaut Maris "Bombis" Strombergs has been the global pacesetter in the elite men's division since winning the coveted Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008, and has regularly won Supercross and international titles since as he rides the wave of his Olympic fame.
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 heads into the World Champs with the UCI number-one ranking following a stellar season.
Elite women
In the elite women's field, expect to see the Tricolor flying in the stadium when France's Laëtitia le Corguillé appears at the top of the massive eight-metre-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 looks likely to be a highly coimpetitive struggle between the class riders like the Americans Connor Fields and Corben Sharra, and Canada's Tory Nyhaug, while the girls' 2010 world title holder may come from Dutch star Merle Van Benthem or American Brooke Crain.
Weather forecast
The weather forecast for the weekend is excellent, while there is a small chance of drizzle on the opening day.
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 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.
PROGRAMME OF EVENTS
Thursday, 29 July
Friday, 30 July
Saturday, 31 July
Sunday, 1 August
SAinfo reporter
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