Van Wyk champion in Nedbank cycle race

HIGH school student Ermin van Wyk landed the title of the 20th edition of the annual Nedbank Cycling Tour in Windhoek on Saturday.

Van Wyk completed the 70-kilometre stretch in one hour, 54 minutes and 17 seconds, while Jaco Blaauw stormed home a second behind Van Wyk, with Tjipee Murangi coming home in third. Van Wyk, who is 16 this year, is among seven cyclists who will represent Namibia at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.He will be in the team that will be headed by veteran Namibian cyclists Tokkie Bombosch and Patrick de Goede in their quest for medals in Melbourne.Blaauw, (in second), who cycles for the Prowealth team, is the reigning champion of The Namibian Model Pick and Pay Cycle Classic, which closes the cycling season in October each year.Murangi is fast becoming a force among the junior riders in the country and his partnership with Van Wyk under their sponsors Cycletech makes them a strong combination on the domestic scene.Van Wyk received N$2 000 for his efforts, while Blaauw and Murangi received N$1 500 and N$1 000 respectively.There were also lot of other prizes for the competitors in different categories.The first woman to cross the line in the 70-km race was Cordulla Moller who finished in two hours and 37 seconds.Johanita de Waal was second, finishing just six minutes behind Moller, while veteran triathlete and cyclist Zoe Mitchell from Swakopmund was third.Mitchell finished the race in two hours and 13 minutes.The first woman in the 30-km race was Vera Adrian, who pipped Heidi Gravenstein in one hour and 58 seconds, a minute ahead of the second-fastest finisher.Susan Horn was third in a time of one hour, two minutes and three seconds.Stefan Barnard completed his 30-km race in a blistering 54 minutes and 10 seconds, while Johannes Shikwena followed him closely in second spot, while Walter Krenz clinched the third spot.In the tandems for the 30-km race, the team of Johan van Niekerk, Patrick de Goede, Paul van Schalkwyk, Luca Tara Lutzow and Glenn Howard grabbed the first place.For schools, the Anti School took first place, while WIS was second.The Open Teams category was won by Murray and Robberts in the 30-km race, followed by Easy Boys, while Girl Power was third.Ben Namibia 2 won the Business Teams category, with Kalmar second and Prowealth third.The team of Chris Muir, Cassie Swarts and Gerhard Maasdorp was victorious in the tandem category during the 70-km race, while Cycology Cycles Juniors was the only schools’ team to enter.Cycletech Speed 1, Cycology and Prowealth came first, second and third respectively as they completed the 70-km Open Teams category.In the Business Teams 70 km, DHP was first, followed by Air Namibia, while Agra Freewheelers took third spot.The organisers said at least 1 600 people entered the race on Sunday.Van Wyk, who is 16 this year, is among seven cyclists who will represent Namibia at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next month.He will be in the team that will be headed by veteran Namibian cyclists Tokkie Bombosch and Patrick de Goede in their quest for medals in Melbourne.Blaauw, (in second), who cycles for the Prowealth team, is the reigning champion of The Namibian Model Pick and Pay Cycle Classic, which closes the cycling season in October each year.Murangi is fast becoming a force among the junior riders in the country and his partnership with Van Wyk under their sponsors Cycletech makes them a strong combination on the domestic scene.Van Wyk received N$2 000 for his efforts, while Blaauw and Murangi received N$1 500 and N$1 000 respectively.There were also lot of other prizes for the competitors in different categories.The first woman to cross the line in the 70-km race was Cordulla Moller who finished in two hours and 37 seconds.Johanita de Waal was second, finishing just six minutes behind Moller, while veteran triathlete and cyclist Zoe Mitchell from Swakopmund was third.Mitchell finished the race in two hours and 13 minutes.The first woman in the 30-km race was Vera Adrian, who pipped Heidi Gravenstein in one hour and 58 seconds, a minute ahead of the second-fastest finisher.Susan Horn was third in a time of one hour, two minutes and three seconds.Stefan Barnard completed his 30-km race in a blistering 54 minutes and 10 seconds, while Johannes Shikwena followed him closely in second spot, while Walter Krenz clinched the third spot.In the tandems for the 30-km race, the team of Johan van Niekerk, Patrick de Goede, Paul van Schalkwyk, Luca Tara Lutzow and Glenn Howard grabbed the first place.For schools, the Anti School took first place, while WIS was second.The Open Teams category was won by Murray and Robberts in the 30-km race, followed by Easy Boys, while Girl Power was third. Ben Namibia 2 won the Business Teams category, with Kalmar second and Prowealth third.The team of Chris Muir, Cassie Swarts and Gerhard Maasdorp was victorious in the tandem category during the 70-km race, while Cycology Cycles Juniors was the only schools’ team to enter.Cycletech Speed 1, Cycology and Prowealth came first, second and third respectively as they completed the 70-km Open Teams category.In the Business Teams 70 km, DHP was first, followed by Air Namibia, while Agra Freewheelers took third spot.The organisers said at least 1 600 people entered the race on Sunday.