The CyclingSA MTB Commission has been hard at work and is excited to announce the details of the 2021 Southern Africa XCO Cup Series, a full calendar of UCI categorised events following the limited event schedule of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The SA XCO Cup Series is a national series that gives Southern African riders more opportunity than ever to score valuable UCI points in South Africa, and CyclingSA would like to thank the host provinces and event partners who have made this series possible.
2021 introduces some amazing new venues to the XCO calendar with the addition of Waterberg in Limpopo, and Iron Throne Bike Park in Hartbeespoort.
The Hartbeespoort event will be run in a traditional mountain-biking race format that will give riders the opportunity to experience various different formats of MTB racing with XCO, Enduro and Downhill all taking place over the same weekend.
Date Event Venue UCI Category
30 January SA XCO Cup #1 Thaba Trails, Johannesburg CAT 1
6 March SA XCO Cup #2 Waterberg, Limpopo CAT 2 as well as a UCI Junior World Series event
17 April SA XCO Cup #3 Stellenbosch, Western Cape CAT 2
22 May SA XCO Cup #4 Iron Throne MTB Park, Hartbeespoort CAT 2
19 June SA XCO Cup #5 Happy Valley, Bloemfontein CAT 2 as well as a UCI Junior World Series event
The Nippers and Sprogs age categories will still be catered for at every event on the 2021 Series calendar, however, the results will not contribute towards a National Series ranking. Start seedings for these categories will be determined by drawing a number at each event.
For entry information as well as a host of valuable information, including the SA MTB Selection Policy, and MTB Handbook, please visit the Cycling South Africa website.
MORE DETAILS ON THE 2021 SOUTHERN AFRICA XCO CUP SERIES
The Southern African XCO Cup Series caters for racers of all ages, subdivided into the following categories:
- Sub Junior (13-14 years old) – CyclingSA Membership required
- Youth (15-16 years old) – CyclingSA Membership required
- Masters (30+) – CyclingSA Membership required
- Junior (17-18 years old) – CyclingSA Membership plus UCI Race Licence required
- Elite (19+ years old) – CyclingSA Membership plus UCI Race Licence required
- Sports Class (Any age) – CyclingSA Day Licence required
- eBike Class (Any age) – CyclingSA Day Licence required
The Sports Class caters for both development riders as well as non-CyclingSA members, with participants able to purchase a day licence at the time of registration.
There is also an eBike category offered by some race organisers. Please check if your event offers this race as this is not a standard category across the series.
SA XCO Cup Series Points
Participants racing in the Sub Junior, Youth, Junior, Elite, Masters and Development categories will earn series points for their positions achieved, and all five races will count towards the 2021 Series points log to determine the Series winners.
CyclingSA National XCO Ranking
Points earned in the Series will also contribute towards the official CyclingSA XCO Rankings, which will be derived from:
- National Series races 100% of points earned
- Provincial Series races 50% of points earned
Points earned by the UCI Junior and Elite athletes also count towards their UCI World ranking, which determines their start grid position at the UCI World Cup events, and any UCI-sanctioned races.
For more information on CyclingSA memberships and UCI licences, click here.
2021 SOUTH AFRICAN XCO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
In addition to the Southern African XCO Cup Series, the 2021 South African National XCO Championships will be held in Pietermaritzburg on 10 and 11 July and does not form part of the 2021 XCO Cup Series.
10 – 11 July: CyclingSA XCO National Championships, Cascades MTB Park, Pietermaritzburg
All National Championship events are one-off events where the National Champions of each category are decided and awarded with a race jersey for the following 12 months. These events are available exclusively to citizens of South Africa, and a UCI race license is required for participation.
2021 UCI JUNIOR WORLD SERIES CALENDAR
This is an international race series open to all Junior riders with a UCI race licence.
Date Competition Venue, Country
27 – 28 Feb Copa Catalana Internacional BTT Banyoles, ESP
28 Feb Puerto Rico MTB Cup Rincón, PUR
06 Mar SA XCO Cup Series Limpopo, RSA
12 – 14 Mar MTB French Cup Marseille, FRA
14 Mar US Cup – Vail Lake Temecula, USA
21 Mar Tropical Mountain Bike Challenge Salinas, PUR
02 – 03 Apr Namibia XC 1 Windhoek, NAM
09 – 11 Apr 2# Internazionali d’Italia Series Nalles, ITA
17 – 18 Apr Ötztaler Mountainbike Festival Haiming, AUT
24 – 25 Apr Heubacher Mountainbikefestival Heubach, GER
30 Apr-01 May SoHo Bike Fest Midway, USA
01 May Maja Wloszczowska MTB Race Jelenia Góra, POL
08 May Albstadt Albstadt, GER
15 May Englewood Open Fall River, USA
14 – 16 May Nové Město na Moravě Nové Město, CZE
22 – 23 May Coupe du Japon MTB Yawatahama City, JPN
29 May Mackay Cup – Round 1 MacKay, AUS
29 – 30 May Crossroads Canada Cup Mont Tremblant, CAN
30 May Mackay Cup – Round 2 MacKay, AUS
04 – 06 Jun Baie-Saint-Paul Canada Cup Baie Saint-Paul, CAN
19 Jun SA XCO Cup Series Bloemfontein, RSA
19 Jun Canmore Canada Cup Canmore, CAN
19 – 20 Jun PROFFIX Swiss Bike Cup Gränichen, SUI
26 – 27 Jun 5# Internazionali d’Italia Series La Thuile, ITA
26 – 27 Jun Copa Internacional MTB São Paulo, BRA
15 Aug Kentville Canada Cup Nova Scotia, CAN
21 – 22 Aug PROFFIX Swiss Bike Cup Basel Basel, SUI
More information on the UCI Junior World Series here.
