Morning All,
Yes, -I know there has been an anxious and frustrating wait for this communication! My sincere apology. While it is certainly late, there have also been reasons:> We had to wait for the response from MTN and Advendurance on our proposals for an increased sponsorship; there have been comments and appeals from riders and funders [=parents!] on the affordability of more nationals, and so on. And then, much of this affected our Indaba discussions and minutes [e.g. the proposed increased sponsorship did not materialize], so I wanted to get both out together to avoid confusion between the minutes and the calendar! Both are now attached, so let’s get on with it.

Calendar 2010
This contains all the main national events, and most of those submitted by the provinces. However, some dates from provinces are not yet on, as they either clash with national dates, or are very different from 2009 and may thus need some discussion, -but this can be done individually with those provinces [e.g. MP].

I think we need to have a serious re-look at the XCO and DHI Nationals. The background to this suggestion:
MTN did not agree to an increased sponsorship. This affects us as follows:
If we hold 6 nationals, each one will have their budget reduced by about R10 000
We cannot effectively implement the proposed escalating prize fund
Overall, it means a lower level of presentation, rather than higher as we want
There is excessive pressure on dates, with a very full calendar
Riders doing XCO and XCM are heavily committed, with some races only a week apart
Every rider and parent I have spoken to [and that is quite a lot] want fewer nationals, and not more. This is related mainly to the cost implications, but also to the time commitments
There is still a fairly strong request that we revert to a system where, for example, 3 of 4 or 4 of 5 nationals count, rather than all counting. Again, all riders I have spoken to prefer this system
Western Cape, I think at this stage, is not geared to present a national, even in May. Their committee does not seem to be standing up and running the province [or tell me otherwise, W/Cape??]

With all these points above in mind, I would like to propose the following:
Reduce the number of nationals to either A or B below:
A: Cup Series x 4 plus Champs, i.e.
6-7 Feb: 1 Joburg
10-11 Apr: 2 Pmburg
15-16 May: 3 George
12-13 Jun: 4 Mankele
17-18 Jul: Champs Pretoria
B: Cup Series x 3 plus Champs, i.e.
10-11 Apr: 1 Pmburg
15-16 May: 2 George
12-13 Jun: 3 Mankele
17-18 Jul: Champs Pretoria

Please can all provinces respond as to what they prefer, and give some feedback and motivations?

Other: Other than the above, there are no changes in age categories or anything else. Apparently, somehow, there was a rumor circulating about this!?

More later,
Thanks a lot,
Grevile

Minutes for AGM   |     2010 Calendar      |     Minute for Indaba

The National MTB XC/DH Cup Series for 2010:
There will be 4 nationals, with 3 out of 4 to count

o #1: 6-7 Feb: Johannesburg
o #2: 10-11 Apr: Pietermaritzburg
o #3: 15-16 May: George
o #4: 12-13 Jun: Nelspruit Mankele

Mankele will host the final Cup Series awards ceremony directly after the completion of XCO and then DHI. All riders are thus strongly encouraged to attend.

The National XC/DH MTB Championships 2010
This will be a once-off National MTB Championship, 1 of 1 to count
This is a Closed Championship, only open to RSA-registered riders with full racing licence
Riders will be crowned SA National Champions in their age group.
There will not be a prize fund, but champions will be issued SA jerseys

17-18 Jul: Pretoria - Fountains

2010 Licenses
An announcement from the President of CSA regarding 2010 licenses should be made within the next couple of weeks.

Marathon / Half Marathon Age Categories

All SAMTB sanctioned events will be run in accordance with UCI rules and the following rule enforcement will be strictly monitored.

Marathons and multi-stage events: 19 years plus [Seniors up]

Half-Marathon - approx 30-45km: 15 years plus [Youth up]

Short- and Fun Ride - up to 20km: 9 yrs plus [Nipper up]

All Parents and Event Organizers need to be aware of these rules. We need assistance from Event Organizers to ensure that entry forms or on-line systems are able to accommodate and not accept the entry if the rider is not the correct age.