Top-class international cycling hits Namibia this weekend when the Pupkewitz Megabuild Tour de Windhoek kicks off in and around the city starting tomorrow.
About 250 cyclists from all over Africa will be in action in the tour which also breaks new ground as it will include a UCI-accredited Confederation of Africa Cycling (CAC) women’s tour for the first time.
This will allow teams to acquire international Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) ranking points and as such several professional teams, as well as national African teams have entered the tour which concludes on Sunday.
Namibia Cycling Federation president Tauko Shilongo says the tour will be a huge boost for Namibian cycling.
“It’s the first time that we are hosting a tour of this magnitude – I’m very proud of our organising committee and I know they will do a great job. The president of the CAC, Alah Kouame from the Ivory Coast, will also grace us with his presence,” he says.
“I’d also like to thank our anchor sponsor Pupkewitz Megabuild, as well as our secondary sponsor Standard Bank and the ministry of sport that has assisted us financially.
“This tour is massive for Namibian cycling and will put our name out there among the leading cycling nations on the continent,” he says.
A total of 10 women’s teams have entered including national teams from Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Cameroon, as well as hosts Namibia. Other professional teams from South Africa, Kenya, Mauritius, Uganda, and Reunion Island and Namibia will also be in action.
South African cyclist Kelsey van Schoor, who was the overall individual winner of last year’s Tour de Windhoek, will be back to defend her title along with her teammates from the Pirtek Customized Cycling team which won the team category last year.
They are once again well represented and include Lucy Young who came third overall last year, as well as Namibia’s up and coming junior rider Delsia van Vuuren.
The Namibian national team will be headed by the national road race, as well as national time trial champion Anri Greeff and includes top local cyclists like Olivia Shililifa, Jean-Marie Mostert, Marissa Mouton and Nicola Sauber.
Other teams to look out for include the Mauritian national team which includes Aurelie Halbwachs who has won numerous continental medals; the South African Nation Enza Construction team; Club Cycliste Saint-Louisien from Reunion Island; Team Amani from Kenya; and the Tshenolo Pro Cycling team from South Africa.
The Hollard Ladies Namibian team also includes strong riders like Louise Breed, Hester Prins and Melissa Hinz, and could also make their presence felt.
MEN’S TOUR
In the men’s tour, several teams from Namibia, South Africa, Angola and Burkina Faso will be in action. Last year’s winner Xander Erasmus of South Africa will not be back to defend his title, but Team On Track will be back and includes top young riders like Matthew Symm, Reitz Hofmeyer and Aston Lord.
Marc Pritzen, a two-time former Tour de Windhoek winner in 2019 and 2022 heads the strong South African team, Honeycomb 226ers, while Team JT 300 and Petro de Luanda are from Angola.
Among the Namibian teams, Team Hollard looks the strongest, consisting of top local riders Martin Freyer, Drikus Coetzee, Theuns van der Westhuizen, Ingram Cuff, Adrian Key and Jaques Hanekom.
Mannie’s Bike Mecca also has a strong team that includes Hugo Hahn, Xavier Papo and top junior cyclist Roger Suren, while other Namibian teams include Cymot Racing, Active Performance Cycling Academy team, and Barloworld Cymot Pro team.
The tour starts with a 7km hill climb at Harmony Hill tomorrow with the women starting at 16h00 and the men an hour later, while stage two consists of the Teufelsschlucht road race on Friday morning with the men doing 120km and the women 83km.
Stage three on Saturday morning consists of a road race on the Western Bypass-Kupferberg Road with the men doing 104km and the women 76km, while stage four consists of a criterium in central Windhoek on Saturday afternoon, that will just be done by the men.
The tour will be concluded on Sunday morning with stage five, consisting of a road race out to Matchless Mine, with the men covering 88km and the women 68km.
The total prize money for the event amounts to N$163 750, with the men’s competition receiving N$62 250, the women’s competition N$59 500 and the Tour de Windhoek Light, N$42 000.
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