By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK, March 6 — On Saturday, March 4, over 100 cyclists took part in the first race of the Nedbank XC race series at the IJG Trails in Kleine Kuppe, Windhoek. Namibian cyclist and 2022 CAC MTB African Champion, Alex Miller, won the 7-lap elite race in a time of 01:20:39. Meanwhile, Swakopmund-based elite woman cyclist, Luanne van der Schyff, won the 4-lap Elite and Under 23 Women’s category race, finishing in a time of 01:10:18.
The race featured various categories including Marathon Men and Women, Nipper Boys Under 10, Nipper Girls, Sprog Boys and Girls Under 12, E-Bike Men and Women, Sub-Junior Boys and Girls Under 14, Youth Boys and Girls Under 16, Rhino Men, Grandmaster Men and Women, Elite and Under 23 Men and Women, Sub Vet Men and Women, Veteran Men and Women, and Master Men and Women.
Alex Miller
Miller expressed his delight at taking part in the race and saw it as a good training race, hoping that more people would participate in the next event. Van der Schyff expressed her happiness at winning the race but acknowledged that more work needed to be done to improve her form.
Nedbank Namibia Communication and PR Manager, Selma Kaulinge, lauded all the cyclists who participated in the race and expressed excitement for the upcoming races. The Nedbank XC Series will continue on April 7-8 with the XC1 UCI C1 and UCI Junior World Series XC0, May 6 with the XC2, June 17 with XC3, and July 8 with the XC4, which will be the final race of the series.
Luanne van der Schyff
Namibia has been making strides in the cycling industry, with the country hosting the 2022 African CAC MTB Championships at IJG Trails and crowning a Namibian as the African Champion, showing that the country has the facilities to host prestigious regional events and cultivate talent that can represent and achieve top honours at major cycling events.
