Namibian professional cyclist Erik Hoffmann recently returned home for a short break from the Asian tour where he is now riding for his Giant Asia Racing Team.
Hoffmann is hard at work preparing for the Olympic Games in Beijing where he will represent Namibia as the only road cyclist. Hoffmann qualified for the Olympics when he came second at the World B Championships in Cape Town last year, although he was only officially informed in January that he had been selected to represent Namibia at the Olympic Games.It was a dream come true for the hard-working Hoffmann, who is determined to give it his best shot when the Olympics comes around.After riding professionally for Team Lamonta in Germany for the past two years, Hoffmann decided to join Giant Asia Racing Team this year.”I had been racing in Europe for two years with Team Lamonta and was looking for a new challenge.A friend of mine introduced me to Giant Asia Racing Team and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know Asia and prepare for the Olympics,” he said.Hoffmann made a strong impact for his new team on the eight-stage 800km Tour de Taiwan in March.After two stages he was amongst the top 10 riders and on the third stage he sprinted to second place to improve his overall position to fifth.He came close to winning the sixth stage after building up a lead of a minute on the peleton with two other cyclists, but a marshalling error cost them their advantage and Hoffmann eventually finished fifth overall.In April Hoffmann competed at the Tour of East Java where he came second and third in two stages and finished sixth overall.Hoffmann will return to Asia in May to prepare for the Olympics.”I will fly to Taiwan in May and in June I want to do an altitude training camp.In July I will participate in a tour in China, which is the biggest tour in Asia and will provide excellent preparation for the Olympics,” he said.”I don’t know what the conditions will be like in Beijing, but I think the smog will be a problem.It was a big problem in Taiwan – my lungs were burning a lot for two or three days before it got better again,” he said.A DREAM COME TRUE Although Namibia qualified for the Olympics when Hoffmann came second in Cape Town last year, he was only officially informed in January that he would represent Namibia at the Olympic Games.Hoffmann said he felt he deserved it and would do his best.”There aren’t so many Namibian cyclists who are capable of racing at that level and I think I have proven in the past that they can rely on me, and that I’ll be in top form, I was really happy when I got the news, because I’ve been working a very long time to achieve this.I’ve been cycling for 12 years now and it has always been my dream to qualify for the Olympic Games.Four years ago I just missed out on qualifying for the Athens Olympic Games when I came 18th at the World B Championships,” he added, saying that on that occasion the top 15 cyclists qualified for the Olympics.www.namibiasport.com.naHoffmann qualified for the Olympics when he came second at the World B Championships in Cape Town last year, although he was only officially informed in January that he had been selected to represent Namibia at the Olympic Games.It was a dream come true for the hard-working Hoffmann, who is determined to give it his best shot when the Olympics comes around.After riding professionally for Team Lamonta in Germany for the past two years, Hoffmann decided to join Giant Asia Racing Team this year.”I had been racing in Europe for two years with Team Lamonta and was looking for a new challenge.A friend of mine introduced me to Giant Asia Racing Team and I thought it would be a good opportunity to get to know Asia and prepare for the Olympics,” he said.Hoffmann made a strong impact for his new team on the eight-stage 800km Tour de Taiwan in March.After two stages he was amongst the top 10 riders and on the third stage he sprinted to second place to improve his overall position to fifth.He came close to winning the sixth stage after building up a lead of a minute on the peleton with two other cyclists, but a marshalling error cost them their advantage and Hoffmann eventually finished fifth overall.In April Hoffmann competed at the Tour of East Java where he came second and third in two stages and finished sixth overall.Hoffmann will return to Asia in May to prepare for the Olympics.”I will fly to Taiwan in May and in June I want to do an altitude training camp.In July I will participate in a tour in China, which is the biggest tour in Asia and will provide excellent preparation for the Olympics,” he said.”I don’t know what the conditions will be like in Beijing, but I think the smog will be a problem.It was a big problem in Taiwan – my lungs were burning a lot for two or three days before it got better again,” he said.A DREAM COME TRUE Although Namibia qualified for the Olympics when Hoffmann came second in Cape Town last year, he was only officially informed in January that he would represent Namibia at the Olympic Games.Hoffmann said he felt he deserved it and would do his best.”There aren’t so many Namibian cyclists who are capable of racing at that level and I think I have proven in the past that they can rely on me, and that I’ll be in top form, I was really happy when I got the news, because I’ve been working a very long time to achieve this.I’ve been cycling for 12 years now and it has always been my dream to qualify for the Olympic Games.Four years ago I just missed out on qualifying for the Athens Olympic Games when I came 18th at the World B Championships,” he added, saying that on that occasion the top 15 cyclists qualified for the Olympics.www.namibiasport.com.na
