British Cycling has announced the riders who will represent the Great Britain Cycling Team at the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa on 13 April.

British champion Grant Ferguson, Kenta Gallagher and Iain Paton will compete in the under 23 men’s cross-country race at the Cascades Mountain Bike venue, which hosted the 2013 world championships.

As well as the national title, 20-year-old Ferguson won the elite men’s crown in the British Cycling MTB Cross-Country Series last year.

Gallagher, 21, took his first victory at a world cup in the cross-country eliminator in the Czech Republic in 2013.

Eighteen-year-old Iain Paton will make his first appearance at under 23 level in the world cup, having previously competed in the junior ranks.

The event is the first of seven cross-country world cup rounds for the 2014 season.

Great Britain team for the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Pietermaritzburg

Under 23 men

Grant Ferguson
Kenta Gallagher
Iain Paton