One of Namibia’s longest running sporting events, the Rotary Club Namibian Cycle Classic will be held for the 27th year in Windhoek this weekend.
Since its inception in 2000, the Cycle Classic has been held each year, even during the Covid-19 pandemic, to become one of Namibia’s biggest mass sporting events.
From the outset, the Cycle Classic was staged as a community service and fundraising event for Rotary Club Windhoek (RCW) and over the years numerous charities and needy causes have benefitted from funds raised.
Danny Meyer of RCW says it’s their main fundraising event.
“This is our main fundraising event of the year and we support various charities through it. Last year we raised about N$80 000 to fund various projects. This year we will sponsor a youth leadership programme, ‘Adventure into Citizenship, as well as additional projects aimed at helping those less fortunate than ourselves, with the focus on the youth and the aged,” he says.
This year’s Cycle Classic will include a gravel bike race for the first time on Saturday, which replaces the Mountain Bike Classic of the past. The Kiddies Classic will also be held on Saturday, while the Cycle Classic road race will be held on Sunday.
The start and finish points for the gravel and road bike races is at 07h00 at SKW in Olympia, while the total prize money amounts to N$32 000.
Delano Hansen of RCW says they hope to reach a target of 700 riders.
“Last year we had more than 700 entries and we hope to reach that target again. Yesterday we passed the 400 mark for online entries and late registration is also still possible so I think that target can be reached,” he says.
The gravel bike race on Saturday follows a recent trend and growing popularity of gravel bike racing but it also incorporates MTB riding.
“It’s essentially still a MTB race but the route is not as treacherous as MTB routes normally were. They will ride out to Farm Windhoek and do various loops of Leopards Loop which is more of a Jeep track than a trail, while some parts will also be on a tar road,” Hansen says.
In the gravel bike race, riders can compete over distances of 22km, 40km and 75km, while the road race on Sunday covers distances of 22km, 40km, 60km and 100km.
Several sponsors have come on board to sponsor this year’s event.
They include the Road Fund Administration, Indongo Toyota, Heineken NBL, Swachem, CIC, Prosperity Health, Shoprite Checkers, The Namibian, Mannie’s Bike Mecca, Windhoek Country Club and SKW.
RCW also thanked Black Chain Mall which sponsored the entries for 132 cyclists of Physically Active Youth, the cycling club and sport organisation based in Katutura.
“This is also to dispel the notion that cycling is a sport and recreational event for the rich,” Meyer says.
