South African downhill talent Andrew Neethling (Giant Factory Off-road team) is starting to hit some good form ahead of the UCI MTB and Trials World Championships in Pietermaritzburg with a respectable eighth place finish in the most recent UCI World Cup event in Mont-Sainte-Anne. Photo: Darren Goddard /
Gameplan Media
South African number two downhiller Andrew Neethling will be aiming to put a difficult season behind him with a positive medal-worthy performance at the biggest event of the year – the UCI MTB Trials World Championships in Pietermaritzburg from August 26.
Neethling, who has battled injury throughout the 2013 UCI MTB World Cup series, remains determined to race for a podium position.
The 29-year-old recently competed at the fourth World Cup event at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada, where he claimed a solid eighth place despite difficult and wet conditions.
Many will be hoping this is a sign of the Giant Factory Off-road racer’s return to good form.
“It has been a bit of a roller coaster season for me so far. I have suffered a fair few big crashes which is not normal for me and have obviously been pretty frustrating,” said Neethling.
“Fort William was solid for me but I had to sit out of round two after crashing heavily the morning of the race.
“I’m healthy now though and I’m looking to try build up some momentum heading into the world champs.”
The Somerset West resident’s performance in Canada has been his best finish in the world cup so far.
He has one more event, the Whistler Crankworks Festival, to use as a fine-tuning exercise before heading back to his homeland for the start of the world champs.
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