BMX World Championships Media Release

 No: bmx1006

21 May 2010

UCI gives Pietermaritzburg thumbs up for BMX World Champs

Pietermaritzburg - As the countdown to the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships in Pietermaritzburg ticked past 75 days this week, the international cycling federation gave the progress on the event at the Royal Showgrounds an unreserved thumbs up.

UCI technical delegate Johan Lindstrom jetted into the capital city this week for a final briefing ahead of the world championships, and after a gruelling twenty four hours of meetings and inspections of the Royal Showgrounds venue and facilities he was positive that the event would be top class.

"It is a fantastic venue for a BMX worlds," said Lindstrom. "I know the hospitality will be great, and the big entry of riders from over 35 countries are really looking forward to coming to Pietermaritzburg for the worlds."

He added that the state-of-the-art track that will be constructed in the showgrounds arena will take the sport into a whole new era.

"It will be one of a kind," he enthused. "Never before have we built course that will have two separate start ramps, and the track will be technically difficult and demanding.

The plans approved by the UCI feature and eight metre high start ramps for the elite classes, and a smaller five metre start ramp alongside it for the challenger classes.

"This track is going to be insane," bubbled Pietermaritzburg's master age group world number two Sharlene McGillvray. "It's going to be fast and technical, which is exactly what we need for a world champs event."

The sport of BMX is growing globally, helped by it's inclusion in the Olympic programme at the Beijing games in 2008. "Since Beijing BMX has really taken off," said Lindstrom. "It used to be seen as a kind of underground sport, but now riders know that they can take it all the way to the highest sporting platform in the world."

"That is particularly trying amongst the female riders, where the standard is really improving at a very fast pace," he added.

"In recent years the standard has also improved incredibly," Lindstrom added. "That's what make it a challenge for us to design a course for the world championships because the top riders are going faster and higher, but we also have to make sure that the course is fair for everyone."

The Royal Showgrounds venue has been warmly welcomed by the international federation as it has a large number of buildings available to provide each of the visiting national federation teams with comfortable, spacious facilities fore their workshops and team lounges.

The local organising committee under Alec Lenferna presented it's plans to Lindstrom, who was excited to see the arrangements at an advanced stage or the event, which starts on Thursday 29 July and concludes on Sunday 1 August.

"This is going to be a great world championships and everyone is really excited to get here," Lindstrom concluded.

The UCI BMX World Championships takes place at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg from 29 July to 1 August. More information can be found at www.bmxworldchampspmb.co.za

ENDS

UCI technical delegate Johan Lindstrom (left) is shown the plans for the UCI BMX World Champs at the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg by LOC boss Alec Lenferna.

Dave Macleod/
Gameplan Media

The plan approved for the track for the UCI BMX World Champs in Pietermaritzburg includes two start ramps. "It will be one of a kind," said UCI technical delegate Johan Lindstrom.

Gameplan Media

"It's a fantastic venue!" said UCI technical delegate Johan Lindstrom of the Royal Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg that will play host to the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships.

Gameplan Media