Marais, Windisch win final WPP race  

Conrad Marais and Benita Windisch emerged victorious in the last Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP6) Series at the Tony Rust Racing Track on Sunday. 

In the men’s competition, Marais posted a time of 21 minutes 45 seconds to win the first-ever WPP criterion race ahead of Frank Klosta, who clocked 22:21 in second place, and Jan Louis Mostert, who was third in a time of 23:09.

Windisch won the women’s competition in a time of 26:34, with Corné van Wyk coming in second in 23:48, and Maike Bochert third with a time of 24:53.

In the team competition, Hollard Insurance, comprising of Drikus Coetzee, Jaques Hanekom, Ingram Cuff, Adrian Key, Gerhard Breed and Horst Neumann, came first ahead of Cymot Racing Team comprising of Murray Koch, JG van der Westhuizen, Kai Pritzen and Gino Chiappini. Team Hollard Life, consisting of Martin Freyer, Danzel De Koe, Nicolaas Swart, Andre Vermeulen, Theo Steenkamp, and Clinton Hilfiker, secured third place.

The team classifications have also been completed after six races, with Hollard Insurance (106 points) just pipping Cymot Racing team (105) to the title, while MBM came third on 94 points. 

In the women’s competition, Hollard Ladies came first with 72 points, followed by Cymot Ladies Racing Team with 43 points and MBM Ladies with 41 points. 

One of the organisers from WPP, Stefanus Feris, said they were happy with this year’s proceedings as everything went smoothly.

“Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to our main sponsor, Nedbank Namibia, whose support cannot be over-emphasised. Thank you, all our partners and our mother body, Namibia Cycling, for your unwavering support throughout the year. To the cyclists, their families, friends, and our incredible fans – thank you for your passion and commitment, which truly brought each race to life,” he said.

He added that they are looking forward to next year when they plan to introduce new competitive and innovative competitive elements to the Nedbank Namibia WPP races.

“These changes are designed to elevate the experience for both riders and fans alike. We will share more details with you soon,” he said. 

Selma Kaulinge of Nedbank Namibia congratulated the organisers for completing the season without any glitches.

“We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club for the exceptional organisation of this years’ series. The six races held this year were a true testament to your dedication. The diverse venues and challenging courses added a unique excitement to each event, pushing the cyclists to new heights and thrilling the fans. We are proud to have been part of such a well-executed series, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future,” she said.

Meanwhile, Feris said the date and venue for the 2024 Nedbank Namibia WPP awards ceremony and annual general meeting will be announced at a later stage.