New talent in line for World Cup

CYCLING Australia CEO Nick Green says he’s excited at the prospect of “untapped talent” emerging during the UCI MTB World Cup as preparations gather momentum for the world titles in Cairns in September.

While riders need the utmost concentration as they hurtle down the mountains, Australia and the world’s riders will have one eye on hitting the qualifications standards for the season-ending event throughout the year.

Green (below) said consistency and top-20 efforts would be hard to ignore for inclusion on the quota for the Australian team, who will be the hometown heroes in Cairns, just behind locals Mick and Tracey Hannah.

“This year I think we’ll see the introduction of young, new talent up against some of the older, more experienced riders,” he said.

While the Lourdes event will be the first gauge of the pecking order in the downhill category in 2017, next month’s national titles should make the picture a bit clearer.

The downhill section of the MTBA National Championships, held in the Gold Coast hinterland in March, had to be cancelled due to the extreme wet at the time, but were rescheduled to May 12-14.

But as the riders start staking their claim, Green said plenty of work was going on in conjunction with UCI and local stakeholders.

“At this time of year, we’ve got a big team behind the scenes working on the logistical aspects and we’re working very closely with the local tourism and marketing operators,” he said.

“The UCI is very impressed with the work we’ve done on the course, particularly in terms of safety.”

Tickets are available for the 2017 World Championships at mtbworldscairns.com.au