The Pietermaritzburg Mountain Bike Festival is set to welcome top elite competitors and local cycling enthusiasts to Cascades MTB Park in KwaZulu-Natal’s capital from April 3 to 5.
While the UCI MTB World Cup may not be heading for South Africa in 2015, the 2015 Pietermaritzburg Mountain Bike Festival that will take place at Cascades MTB Park from Friday 3-Sunday 5 April promises to bring a frenzy of top local, national and international mountain biking activity to Africa’s Bike City. Photo Credit: Darren Goddard/Gameplan Media
After playing host to four UCI MTB World Cup legs and the 2013 UCI MTB & Trials World Championships the city will take a break from the top level of the international racing circuit to focus more on the local cycling scene.
“Pietermaritzburg is not part of the 2015 UCI MTB World Cup calendar due to a year of consolidation by the UCI of the World Cup series.
Cycling SA has agreed to the process initiated by the UCI, and felt that this year was the right time to step back and refocus on the overall national position of all of cycling in SA,” said Event Director Alec Lenferna.
A leg of the Spur MTB Series, a development programme and a variety of marathon events will afford local cycling enthusiasts the opportunity to be a part of the action regardless of their age or ability.
However, there will still be a strong elite showing at the three day event too.
“The Epic ends on 22 March and so we expect many of these top riders to then head to Pietermaritzburg for the HC cross country race on the Saturday,” said Lenferna.
While Pietermaritzburg may not be on the UCI’s 2015 MTB World Cup radar, plans are a long way down the road in ensuring the return of international racing to PMB in 2016 across a variety of disciplines.
Entrance to the Cascades MTB Park during the 2015 Pietermaritzburg Mountain Bike Festival is free.
