Thursday, 08 September 2011 08:17
SA MTB riders need more overseas racing experience
The 2011 UCI Mountain Bike and Trials World Championships in Champery, Switzerland have come to an end with yet another spectacular display of mountain bike racing from athletes all over the world, with only one chance of having the perfect race run to earn the prestigious title of MTB World Champion.
South Africa had a very strong presence in amongst a quality line-up of international mountain bikers in the cross-country and downhill disciplines; four-cross and trials were also part of the event schedule. The conditions certainly did not contribute to any meaningful challenge by the entire field of athletes and success was determined more by the elements, which in some instances had a ‘river’ of water running across the track. Not necessarily ideal world championship conditions.
World medal contender Burry Stander faced misfortune in the Elite men’s right from the get go, when a poor start saw him fighting for positions from early in the race. About mid way when the rain began to come down, Stander suffered a big crash on some wet, slippery roots, abruptly ending his race.
“Although the pro riders are prepared to race in any condition, it is the junior and U23 downhill riders that felt it the most this weekend,” said SA MTB Team Manager Bryan Strauss. “And when it came to the Elite DH race, the conditions really opened up the field.
“It is clear to see who has been racing the world cups abroad this year,” continued Strauss. “Our riders have the ability to compete against the best in the world, but gaining experience from regularly racing abroad is vital. For instance, look at our downhill riders – the juniors find the racing quite overwhelming. The tracks overseas cannot compare to anything in South Africa. Everything is at least three times greater – the gap jumps, the steepness. The riders have to adapt to these tougher conditions in a short space of time.”
Of special mention was the result during the team XCO relay race. U23 rider Mariske Strauss had a big crash before completing her lap, with U23 Rourke Croeser breaking his chain 500m before the finish of his lap. Luke Roberts (Junior) and Burry Stander (Elite) pushed hard for a clean run - the end result was Team RSA finishing 11th. “With a clean run from all four riders, we could’ve moved our final position up at least five places!” said Strauss excitedly. “The individual results were not what we had hoped for at these world championships, but each race experience is a building block for us of where we want to be.”
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