The prime of South Africa’s BMX racing will be competing for top honours in not one, but two separate championship events at Giba Gorge, KwaZulu-Natal, on 25 and 26 October 2014.
162 riders will start the 2014 SA BMX National Championships on Saturday 25 October, and 144 local riders will compete in the 2014 UCI African BMX Continental Championships on Sunday 26 October. // Photo: Alan Heubner.
Riders will line up for the prestigious 2014 SA BMX National Championships on Saturday, which will be followed by yet another esteemed event when the 2014 UCI African BMX Continental Championships kicks off on Sunday. Both of these top-class events will take place on South Africa’s first purpose-built Supercross racing track.
Entries are now closed and there have been 162 entries received for the SA Champs, which is 18% up on previous years, and 144 local entries in the African Continental Champs. Of those, there are eight SA Elite Men and five SA Elite Women taking to centre stage, promising an exciting spectacle. In addition, ten riders will represent Zimbabwe, and two Elite Men will represent Uganda.
Since five Elite women are racing, this will be the first time that they can compete in the “Elite Women” class and earn UCI points! Previously, with less than 5 riders, these women would race in the 15-and-over super class, and they would not earn UCI points.
Only the Elite Men will tackle the daunting and specialised 8m start hill, while the Elite Women and all the other categories will use the standard 5m start hill.
Some of our top competitors are Kyle Dodd, Themba Hlope, Alex Limberg, Bryce Stiebel, Godfrey Buziba, Kane Herbert, Dylan Whittle and Alex Goncalves in the Junior/Elite Men category; Maia Rawlins, Stacey Bryant, Anita Zenani, Paige Muller and Kayla Eggar in the Junior/Elite Women class; Tyrone Johns in the Cruiser and 20” classes; Dylan Eggar (U15 Expert); Connor Terblanche (U12 Expert) and Kita Uys (U8 Expert), and many more.
“We’re in for an exciting weekend of action-packed racing,” said Cycling SA BMX Commissioner, Margot Gerber. “For those in the area, come and support our local riders and witness the action and excitement of adrenalin-packed BMX racing first hand. If you can’t get to the track over the weekend, you can watch the racing live on streamit360.tv – both the SA Champs and the African Champs will be broadcast.”
Competitors of the SA Champs, and the UCI African Champs, will have the opportunity to gain valuable UCI points, which counts toward their Rio 2016 Olympic qualification for individual and nation ranking.
Click here to view the timetable of events for the SA National Championships and African Continental Championships on 24, 25 and 26 October.
Good Luck to all the participants