Mannie wins MTB cycling Champs

MANNIE Heymans won the 2007 Windhoek Consulting Engineers (WCE) National Mountain Bike Championship in the capital on Sunday.

Heymans, riding in the elite men’s category with an injured thumb, won the challenging cross-country course of six laps of 7 km each, with Ermin van Wyk coming in second and Christo Swartz third. Defending champion Marc Bassingthwaighte did not finish the race because of illness.Bassingthwaighte’s sister Carmen Bassingthwaighte won the elite women’s category, decided over four laps, followed by 2006 winner Charmaine Shannon in second place.Namibia’s top female cyclist Heletje van Staden did not race due to illness.Both Bassingthwaighte and van Staden are part of the Namibian national team to represent the country at the African MTB Championships billed for the same track next Sunday.Heymans told Nampa after the gruelling race that Namibia stands a good chance to win the African competition because the riders know the course and are used to the weather conditions in Windhoek.Heymans, who is the current African champion, added that the competition will be very tough, but his team would fight to the end.He is aware that the South Africans are very good mountain bikers but remarked: “The Namibians are not bad at all”.Heymans said the course is very tough and needs constant concentration.Another national team member, Ermin Van Wyk, agreed that the course is very tough and that he will work even harder for the African championships.With Arno Viljoen also out with a broken wrist, team manager Sigi Bassingthwaighte was worried that so many of her riders were ill but hoped that they will all recover before the African Championships in a week’s time.NampaDefending champion Marc Bassingthwaighte did not finish the race because of illness.Bassingthwaighte’s sister Carmen Bassingthwaighte won the elite women’s category, decided over four laps, followed by 2006 winner Charmaine Shannon in second place.Namibia’s top female cyclist Heletje van Staden did not race due to illness.Both Bassingthwaighte and van Staden are part of the Namibian national team to represent the country at the African MTB Championships billed for the same track next Sunday.Heymans told Nampa after the gruelling race that Namibia stands a good chance to win the African competition because the riders know the course and are used to the weather conditions in Windhoek.Heymans, who is the current African champion, added that the competition will be very tough, but his team would fight to the end.He is aware that the South Africans are very good mountain bikers but remarked: “The Namibians are not bad at all”.Heymans said the course is very tough and needs constant concentration.Another national team member, Ermin Van Wyk, agreed that the course is very tough and that he will work even harder for the African championships.With Arno Viljoen also out with a broken wrist, team manager Sigi Bassingthwaighte was worried that so many of her riders were ill but hoped that they will all recover before the African Championships in a week’s time.Nampa