All 23 Degrees Athletes Qualify for World Championships
23.8.2009
The UCI World Championships for Mountain Bike are just around the corner, taking place in Canberra (AUS) from September 1 to 6.
All 6 of the eligible athletes, managed by 23 Degrees, have been selected by their National Teams and will travel to the World Championships.
Greg Minnaar will be racing for the South African National team aboard his Santa Cruz V10, and is of course one of the favourites. Greg won on the Canberra course last year and is hoping to pick up his 2nd World Championship crown.
Sam Blenkinsop and Justin Leov are both racing for the New Zealand National Team, and both have had World Cup podium success this year. Last year Sam won the final race in the World Cup, and Justin qualified 3rd at the Worlds and finished 6th. Sam is aboard his Yeti 303 DH and Justin on his Trek Session 88.
Both Kyle Strait and Luke Strobel have been selected to race for the US National Team. Kyle has been racing for Specialized Team America this season and has had some strong top 20 results in World Cup racing. Kyle won the World Championship bronze medal in Juniors in 2004. Luke will be racing his Rocky Mountain DH bike and hoping for another top 20 result.
Finally, David Vazquez who at 30 years of age has raced every World Championship since 1997, will be racing for the National Team of Spain on his Lapierre DH rig. This may well be David's last World Championship as he looks to scale back his racing in 2010, but he will still be strong on this physical track.
Watch Freecaster.tv for all the live action. XC finals are Saturday the 5th of September, and DH finals on Sunday the 6th.