On 23 November 2016 – Cycling South Africa’s Mountain Bike Commission approved the Selection Criteria for the 2017 racing season. According to CSA the MTB Selection Policy and Criteria have been significantly revised, following a consultative workshop with a wide range of stakeholders. These included active Elite riders, development academies, MTB management, coaches and selectors
All riders contending for selection to the SA National Mountain Bike Team and the High Performance Squad are strongly encouraged to download the document and study it carefully! It is imperative that all requirements are understood, as they will be consistently and strictly applied. The document is available for download here:http://www.cyclingsa.com/s/
While the nominated selection races cover a range of National, 
International and UCI races, the 2017 SA National MTB Cup Series will form an important part of the available races. SA National MTB Champs, however, are compulsory for riders contending for selection.
In the meantime, the dates and venues for the four National Cup Series races in four provinces have been confirmed, with the SA National MTB Championships for XCO and DHI taking place at Mankele MTB Park in Mpumalanga. The Downhill National Cup Series dates will be released shortly.
Selection races (as per Selection Criteria 10.01): XCO
| Event and-or Series | Weight | Dates | Venue | Class | Country |
| SA National Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Feb – Jun 2017 | As per Series | C1 | RSA |
| SA National Championships 2017 | 100% | 22-Jul-2017 | Mankele | CN | RSA |
| UCI World Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Apr – Jun 2017 | As per Series | CM | Various |
| Swiss Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Mar – Jun 2017 | As per Series | C1 & HC | SUI |
| UCI Junior World Series | 100% | Jan – Jun 2017 | As per Series | C1 | Various |
| African Continental Champs 2017 | 100% | tbc | Egypt | CC | tbc |
| French Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Mar – Jun 2017 | As per Series | HC | FRA |
| Pietermaritzburg MTB Festival HC | 100% | 17-Jun-2017 | Pietermaritzburg | HC | RSA |
| German Bundesliga 2017 | 100% | Mar – Jun 2017 | As per Series | C1 & HC | GER |
| Regional and National Schools Series | Various dates & venues: Used for talent ID only | ||||
Selection races (as per Selection Criteria 10.02): DHI
| Names of Series or Races | Weight | Date | Venue | Class | Country |
| SA National Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Jan – Jun 2017 | As per Series | Tbc | RSA |
| SA National Championships 2017 | 100% | 23-Jul-2016 | Mankele | CN | RSA |
| UCI World Cup Series 2017 | 100% | Apr – Jun 2017 | As per Series | CM | Various |
| IXS European Cup Series | 100% | Mar – Jun 2017 | As per Series | C1 | Various |
| Regional and National Schools Series | Various dates & venues : Used for talent ID only | ||||
Selection races (as per Selection Criteria 10.03): XCM
| Designated Races – MTB Marathon | Date | Town – Venue | Region |
| Attakwas Extreme MTB Ultra Marathon | 21-Jan-2017 | Oudtshoorn | Southern Cape |
| SA National XCM Series 2017 [Ashburton] | Jan – Jul 2017 | As per Series | Various |
| SA National XCM Championships 2017 | 21-May-2017 | Pietermaritzburg | KwaZulu-Natal |
| UCI World Marathon Series | Jan – May 2017 | As per Series | Various |
| Stage Races & UCI Marathons [see 10.03.001 in Selection Criteria] | Various | Various | Various |
The venues for the 2017 and 2018 African Continental MTB Championships have been established, and will see Egypt playing host to the Championship event in 2017 and Mozambique in 2018. Venues and dates are yet to be finalised and will be shared across all of our channels as soon as we receive confirmation of this.
For any queries regarding the Selection Criteria, please contact the Convenor of Selectors, Grevile Ruddock, by email grevile@iafrica.com.
Source: Cycling South Africa
