Tour de Windhoek is here

NAMIBIA’S premier international cycling stage race, the Tour de Windhoek, returns this weekend when Namibia’s leading cyclists and three South African teams will battle it out for top honours and prize money totalling about N$150 000.
A total of eight men’s teams, comprising 44 cyclists, and seven women’s teams of 31 cyclists will compete in the open categories, while a further 69 individual cyclists have entered the Tour de Lite.

The open men’s and women’s winners will each receive N$10 000, the silver medallists will receive
N$7 500, and the bronze medallists N$5 000, while the top-10 men and top five women cyclists will also receive prizes. There will be further prizes for the King of the Mountains, the best sprinters, the best young rider and the best team, while there will also be about N$40 000 in prize money for the Tour de Lite.

Marc Pritzen from South Africa will not be back to defend the title he won for the second time last year, but three up-and-coming South African teams will be in action.

TEG Procycling, which came second in the team competition last year, will be back, and they include some exciting young riders like Matthew Lester and Blaine Kieck, both 19, and Andries Nigrini, who won a stage on the Tour du Cap last year.

Team Tufo BMC includes upcoming Damon Fouchee (22) and Jacques Maree (19), while Team DMS includes the experienced David Maree, and upcoming Nicholas James and Keanan Roodt. Among the Namibian teams, Simonis Storm, powered by Hollard, should present a strong challenge with the likes of Drikus Coetzee, who won last weekend’s Nedbank Cycle Challenge, and Ingram Cuff, who came third.

Alex Miller, who came fourth at the international Tankwa Trek with his South African teammate Philip Buys last weekend, will spearhead the challenge of Mannie’s Bike Mecca’s Men’s Team, which also includes the upcoming Adrian Key (18) and Justus Beulker (17).

Namibia’s young mountain bike sensations, Kevin Lowe and Daniel Hahn (both 18 years old), who are currently the top-two ranked junior MB riders in the world, will spearhead the challenge of the Cymot Men’s Racing Team A, while the NCCS Cymot Pro Racing Team includes experienced riders like Xavier Papo, Jojo Hamunyela and Denzel de Koe.

The Pupkewitz Megabuild men’s team includes the experienced Ananias Shilongo, and the upcoming Andre Cornelissen (19) and Justin Vosloo (20).

Among the women’s teams, Mannie’s Bike Mecca’s ladies includes last weekend’s Nedbank Cycle Challenge winner Risa Dreyer, as well as Belinda van Rhyn and Irene Steyn, while the Cymot racing ladies’ team includes Namibia’s u23 champion Monique du Plessis, Nicola Fester and Jean-Marie Mostert.

Simonis Storm, powered by Hollard, includes national riders Melissa Hinz and Anri Krugel, while the Cymot Ladies’ Racing Team Yellow includes Michelle Steenkamp and the upcoming Olivia Shililifa.

The other participating women’s teams are Megabuild Ladies, Lema Ladies, and Cycles4U.
The tour starts with a 5km prologue in the vicinity of the main sponsors Pupkewitz Megabuild at 18h00 today, to be followed by the first road stage on the Dordabis Road tomorrow morning.

Stage 2 consists of a team time trial at the Tony Rust Racetrack at 17h00 tomorrow, while stage 3 consists of a road race on the Western Bypass and Daan Viljoen Road on Saturday morning. Stage 4 consists of the Pupkewitz Megabuild Criterium at 17h00 on Saturday, while the tour will be concluded with the stage 5 road race on the Von Bach Road at 09h00 on Sunday.

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