Sifiso Nhlapo heads up the South Africa team chosen to compete in the 2010 UCI BMX World Championships in late July, but the team is anything but a one-man squad and there is a sprinkling of other riders hoping to collect world titles in their age groups. Nhlapo is without doubt the big name in the national squad and the country's big hope to grab a gold medal in the blue riband Men's Elite category.
Skizo, as he is known, proved in 2008 that he had what it takes to compete with the world's best when he enjoyed a superb season, producing some stellar performances in Europe before grabbing the bronze medal at the World Championships and then seventh in the final at the Olympics when a crash robbed him of a medal chance.
While 2008 was the season of dreams for Nhlapo, 2009 was a nightmare when a horrific crash left him sidelined from the action and he is only returning to full time racing this year. At the most recent World Cup event in Copenhagen Skizo claimed a place in the semi-finals to prove that he preparations for World Championships are on course.