Cross country riders and downhillers find their lines during pre-rides
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Jose Hermida (Spain) on a climb (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Switzerland's Andrea Waldis is looking forward to her first competition in South Africa (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
South Africa's William Makgopo successfully negotiates one of the many technical sections of the cross country course (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
Japan's Shohei Nishida was one of a few to take a bit of a tumble during Tuesday's training session (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
France's Raphael Gay heads down the widened Rapid Rocks rock garden during training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
New Zealand's Samuel Gaze charges off a jump during training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
Pre-race favourite to take the men's cross country title, Switzerland's Nino Schurter, feels the track is both technical and slippery (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
South Africa's Luthando Fatyi becomes one with the ground as he takes a tumble during training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
South Africa's Melanie Palframan even has time for a smile during training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
South Africa's under 23 men's cross country star Luke Roberts hopes his local course knowledge will stand him in good stead (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
Italy's Gioelel Bertolini tackles the new Buck Jump alley section of the cross country course (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
Austria's Felix Ritzinger gets to know the course during training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
Eva Lechner of Italy makes light work of Rapid Rocks rock garden during day one of training (Image credit: Dave Macleod / Gameplan Media)
A winding climb early in the cross country course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The downhill start house. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A small drop early on the downhill course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The ground is hard packed and cracking in the heat. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
This sign advises riders of an upcoming tricky section (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
This steep, rocky drop is the most technical part of the downhill course. There are a few lines from which to chose. One rider looks over the edge during the track walk. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A drop-off on the downhill course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Much of the downhill course is hard packed and fast. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A view of Pietermaritzburg from the downhill course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A sign advised caution near the Dr. Evil section. We wonder if there is any connection with the Dr. Evil who designs the Cape Epic courses. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A long straight, pedalling section on the downhill course, with a view of Pietermaritzburg. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Riders queue up on the cross country course at a rock garden to watch each other's lines (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A rider sits far back on his bike to cope with the steep, downhill rocky section (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The MTB Worlds courses run through a tree plantation. Here is where some logging recently occurred. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Logging atop the downhill Worlds course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Much of the cross country and downhill courses feature smooth sections like this. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Pick your line: A, B or C! (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Sharka's playground challenges riders with both steepness and log drop-offs. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The African sun beats down on this uphill section of the cross country course. Heat could play a role in the mid-day races. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The MTB Worlds course runs through a tree plantation of gum and eucalyptus trees. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Most of the women riders, even the elites, commented that the technical sections gave them pause during their first day of training. They certainly look intimidating from the top. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A German rider and her coach walk through the Treehouse Rock Garden section of the cross country course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The Treehouse is a famous rock garden section on the cross country course. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The Corkscrew is the name of one steep, technical section on the cross country course. A TV camera will be set up on this platform. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The cross country racers will finish under this 2013 MTB Worlds banner. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The eliminator will be run through this section, with three different lines to be taped off. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A person checks out the Rapid Rocks section of the cross country course on the day before riding the course is allowed. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
A crowd watches a rider from the top of a rock garden near the start/finish. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Katerina Nash (Czech Republic) (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Racers practice at Sharka's playground (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
U23 rider Jenny Rissveds (Sweden) during training (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Tanja Zakelj (Slovenia) has made her mark on the World Cup circuit this season. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Sofia Wiedenroth (Germany) will race with the junior women. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Alexandra Engen (Sweden) will race eliminator, cross country and the team relay (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
William Makgopo (South Africa) during training (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Lena Putz (Germany) practices her line through a rock garden (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Neilson Powless (USA) practices one of the rock gardens. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Zebra and leopard painted features give the trials course a South African flavor (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The trials venue is next to the expo area for easy good spectating (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Burry Stander is not far from anyone's thoughts. This memorial is the first thing you see upon entering the Worlds venue (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
This memorial garden pays tributed to Burry Stander, who was killed after being hit by a taxi while training in January. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Irene Lizbeth FLores (Mexico) approaches a decision point - line A, B or C? (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Sharka's Playground made many racers stop and think twice about the best line. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Kerry Werner (USA) catches some air on small jumps on the course (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Neilson Powless (USA) on a portion of the course that is for both the cross country and the eliminator (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
An Italian rider on the pump track (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
An Italian rider plays on the pump track. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Peter Disera (Canada) (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Mary McConneloug and Mike Broderick (USA) on a climb (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Manuel Fumic (Germany) during training (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Todd Wells (USA) gets in some pre-riding (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
An American rider on a singletrack climb on the second half of the cross country course (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Sofia Wiedenroth (Germany) on a climb. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
US cross country national champion Stephen Ettinger (USA) (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
Lene Byberg (Norway) practices some jumps on the XC course. She was the only rider spotted running a lap the day prior. (Image credit: Sue George, Mountain Bike Editor)
The racing at the 2013 UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa will begin on Wednesday with the team relay cross country, with four riders from each nation taking a turn on the cross country course. On Tuesday, the cross country courses opened for training for all categories while the junior gravity riders also got their first crack at the downhill course.
Cyclingnews took a walk around the venue checking out both courses and the venue as racers arrived from around the globe and started to find their lines.
"It's really a world championship [cross country] course. There is a little bit of everything for everybody. There are some flats, some steep uphills, some steep downhills. It's pretty good," said former cross country world champion Jose Hermida (Spain) to Cyclingnews.
The eliminator course will not be set up until later in the week since part of it is used in the cross country races held through Saturday; however, a walk-through of the intended course revealed that all of it will be on dirt through the main part of the venue; unlike last year's eliminator Worlds course, which was on pavement and concrete through a downtown area.
After successfully running UCI Mountain Bike World Cup events in recent years and the UCI Masters Mountain Bike World Championships last week, Pietermaritzburg is hosting the world championships for the first time. It is also the first time the MTB Worlds has ever been run in Africa.
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Sue George is an editor at Cyclingnews. She coordinates all of the site's mountain bike race coverage and assists with the road, 'cross and track coverage.
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