The men's field is very high-caliber with Nino Schurter at the top. Of the selected Swiss riders, every rider has made it into the top seven in the World Cup at least once this season. The chances of more than one top result are therefore very high. Despite meeting the selection criteria, Thomas Litscher will not be able to take part in the World Championships. The St. Gallen native will have to undergo an operation due to pain in his seat caused by an abscess and will therefore be out for two months.

With Katrin Leumann and Esther Süss as the driving force, the Swiss women also have a great chance of winning a medal. They will be supported by the experienced Nathalie Schneitter and the two up-and-coming riders Kathrin Stirnemann and Corina Gantenbein.

While the cross-country team will be drawing from the full pool and sending eight men and five women to the title fights, the same riders will be used in the eliminator sprint, with one exception. Swiss champion Marcel Wildhaber will be the only athlete traveling to South Africa just for this sprint discipline. Surprisingly, in addition to defending champion Ralph Näf, Nino Schurter, Martin Gujan and Florian Vogel are also on the list of selected Eliminator riders. There are no pure eliminator specialists in the women's race, especially as the best Swiss sprinters are also among the best in cross-country.

In the U23 categories, the chances of Swiss athletes reaching the medal positions are good. As things stand, Reto Indergand and Jolanda Neff have the best maps. Neff, who became U23 World Champion last year, will be faced with defending her title in Pietermaritzburg. The 20-year-old had to swallow a bitter pill at the European Championships when she went out without a medal. With the experience that the competition in this category has grown considerably, Neff should certainly be well equipped to defend her title.

Only three Swiss riders are competing in the U19 categories in South Africa. In the juniors it is Andrin Beeli and Simon Vitzthum. In the juniors, it is Alessandra Keller who will represent the Swiss colors at the World Championships. The chances in these categories are very open. If things go well for the Swiss, a medal is possible in both categories.The Swiss downhill faction will also have to make do with three athletes. Despite a growing supply of talent, only Nick Beer, Emilie Siegenthaler and Noel Niederberger qualified for the downhill titles in the men's, women's and junior categories. At least the three of them have a chance of winning a medal.The other Swiss riders were either unable to reach their potential in the qualifying races, were slowed down by riders who caught up with them or had to accept defects. So it's high time that the federation gave the "problem child" downhill a helping hand in the near future so that the downhill squad at the 2014 World Championships is more broadly based again.Ralph Näf, Jolanda Neff, Marc Stutzmann and Andrin Beeli will be racing for Switzerland in the relay competition.

www.swiss-cycling.ch

Selections for the 2013 World Championships, Pietermaritzburg/RSA

Cross-country men
Nino Schurter
Florian Vogel
Ralph Näf
Lukas Flückiger
Mathias Flückiger
Martin Fanger
Martin Gujan
Fabian Giger

Cross-country women
Katrin Leumann
Esther Süss
Nathalie Schneitter
Kathrin Stirnemann
Corina Gantenbein

Cross-country U23 men
Reto Indergand
Matthias Stirnemann
Marc Stutzmann
Enea Vetsch
Andri Frischknecht

Cross-country U23 women
Jolanda Neff
Andrea Waldis
Linda Indergand

Juniors
Andrin Beeli
Simon Vitzthum

Junior girls
Alessandra Keller

Downhill men
Nick Beer

Downhill women
Emilie Siegenthaler

Downhill juniors
Noel Niederberger

Eliminator men
Ralph Näf
Marcel Wildhaber
Nino Schurter
Florian Vogel
Lukas Flückiger
Martin Gujan

Eliminator women
Kathrin Stirnemann
Jolanda Neff
Linda Indergand
Andrea Waldis
Nathalie Schneitter
Katrin Leumann

Team Relay
Ralph Näf
Jolanda Neff
Marc Stutzmann
Andrin Beeli