Three promising young cyclists are appealing to the community for support in their bids to represent South Africa at the upcoming UCI Mountain Bike World Championships.

Ballito’s Madison Bateson (16), Cody Maidman (16) and Joshua Paul (17) all earned selection to compete at the event in Val di Sole, Italy, from August 26 to 30 after a string of excellent performances. However, with no support available from Cycling South Africa, they have launched fundraising initiatives to help cover the costs of competing internationally, including flights, accommodation and race expenses.

Madison is ranked 10th in the world in her category and is the top first-year junior.

“Competing at the World Championships would mean a great deal to me,” she said.

“It is an important milestone on my journey towards my long-term goal of racing on the UCI World Cup circuit, and standing on the start line at my first World Championships would bring me one step closer to achieving that dream.”

Madison has launched a BackaBuddy page and you can support her trip directly at backabuddy.co.za/campaign/madisons-xco-world-championships.

A fundraising event for the group is also being held on Monday, August 10, which is a public holiday.

The DriveTrain Dash fun ride and run starts at 8am and the R100 entry fee includes a chance to win some great sponsored prizes from local businesses. Multiple entries are allowed per person and you can also enter on the day.

You can enter via Quicket at quicket.co.za/events/389923-drivetrain-dash.