JUNIOR cyclist Till Drobisch won the Namibian Cycle Classic on Sunday when he beat Mathias Kreft and Heinrich Kohne in a sprint to the line. Drobisch won the 100km event in a time of two hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds, with Kreft finishing second in the same time and Kohne third, a second behind.
Jose Barth came fourth in 2:36:16 while Ingram Cuff came fifth in 2:36:36.It was a great ride by Drobisch after he had to make up a deficit of more than four minutes earlier in the race. Namibia’s top junior cyclists also performed well with Drobisch, Kreft and Barth all still 18 years old, finishing amongst the top five cyclists.Kreft, Kohne and veteran cyclist Nick du Plessis made an early breakaway and at a stage had built up a lead of more than four minutes on the leading peleton.When they reached the Daan Viljoen hills, they still had a lead of about three minutes, but Drobisch started his attack and gradually closed the deficit on the leaders. He overtook a tiring Du Plessis and shortly after the turn around point at Matchless Mine he caught up with Kohne and Kreft. The three cyclists worked together and managed to stay ahead of the chasing pack until the final sprint to the line where Drobisch emerged victorious.Another junior cyclist Vera Adrian dominated the senior women’s race to win in a time of 2:57:00. It was the fourth year in a row that the 18-year-old Adrian had won the senior women’s race.Hayley Brand followed more than 15 minutes behind in second place, while Barbara Ackerman came third in 3:21:02.A total of 977 cyclists entered the Namibian Pick and Pay Cycle Classic which took place for the 11th consecutive year in sunny weather in and around the Namibian capital, Windhoek.Cyclists could also enter races over 20km, 30km and 65km, while a Mountain Bike race was incorporated for the first time on Saturday.Heinrich Kohne showed his versatility when he won the 30km MB race in a time of 1:18:32. Jacques Celliers came second in 1:19:21 and Nick du Plessis third in 1:20:32.Wynand Gouws won the 15km MB category after beating Gordon Pieters in a sprint to the line. Both cyclists recorded a time of 48:32, while Heiko von Ludwiger came third in 49:39.A total of 303 cyclists entered the mountain bike races.The complete results for the mountain bike races are attached. The results of the Top 20 men and women in the 100km Cycle Classic are attached. The complete 100km results as well as the 65km, 30km and 20km results have not been received yet. – namibiasport.com.na
