CYCLING:Gustav Thiel
SOUTH AFRICA’S cycling fraternity will receive what some term a belated wake-up call when the African continent hosts the first-ever World Cup event in this sport in Stellenbosch this weekend.
The first leg of the prestigious Grundig UCI World Cup for mountain bikes in South Africa heralds the genesis, if event organiser Carinus Lemmer is to be believed, of a boom in mountain biking in the country.
This particular brand of cycling consists of three disciplines, cross-country racing, dual slalom and down hill racing. Only the latter will be on show in Stellenbosch. If successful, it could ensure that South Afrca becomes a regular stop-over for events organised by the International Cycling Federation (UCI). The world’s top mountain bikers have already converged on the Cape winelands with the enthusiasm generally associated with exponents of this adrenalin sport.
Says Australian Scott Sharples, ranked consistently among the world’s top 10 riders: “This sport regularly draws more than 20 000 spectators to events in Europe in America where the sport is really huge.
“All the riders are really happy to be in South Africa and our first impression is that Stellenbosch is an ideal venue to host this event. I’m glad the sport has come to South Africa and I think you people still underestimate the impact this event will have on the sport here,” said Sharples.
Hosting the event in Stellenbosch is a tribute to the vision of Lemmer, an ex- international cyclist, who insisted South Africa could host the event when others in the South African cycling fraternity belittled him for his over-enthusiasm. “There was a time when people here thought it was a pipe dream to host the event in Stellenbosch, but we pushed hard and eventually convinced the necessary people that we could it,” said Lemmer.
Mountain biking is one of the top television sports in Europe, receiving regular coverage on the satellite channel Eurosport and MTV. These channels will broadcast the South African leg of the World Cup Down Hill, the first of six, to millions of viewers in Europe and America.
The 1997 World Cup series culminates in the finals in August in Houfalize in Belgium. Lemmer says the majority of the more than 200 riders making the trip to South Africa believe the Stellenbosch stopover could be crucial towards deciding the eventual winner of the series.
Included in the line-up of top riders are Anne-Caroline Chausson, the multiple women’s world champion from France and Michael Ranning, the Australian junior world champion. Experts say Ranning is the most exciting prospect the sport has ever seen.
South African hopes rest firmly on the shoulders of Capetonians Greg Miller and Erica Green. Miller is the current South African champion and Green became our first Olympic representative in mountain biking at last year’s Atlanta Olympic Games.