Pedal Power race set for Sunday

THE third leg of the 2024 Nedbank Namibia Windhoek Power Pedal Series (WPP3) will take place on Sunday, starting at the entrance of Matchless Mine outside Windhoek.

Registration for the event closed on Wednesday at 17h00, with organisers anticipating between 190 and 220 cyclists to take part in the event.

One of the organisers of the event, Stephanus Feris of the Windhoek Pedal Power Cycling Club, said preparations were going well. “All is set for the event. The route remains the same. Cycling will start at the entrance of Matchless Mine and go all the way to the Western Bypass before the cyclists turn at Okapuka bridge for the elite men to the service road behind Breakwater to join the Western Bypass again before finishing at the Matchless Mine again,” he said. Feris added that they expect Namibia's top male and female cyclists to participate in this event.

Last year, Simonis Storm Securities' teams powered by Hollard won the men's and women's events. Cymot Racing Team A was second in the men's event, followed by Mannie Bike Mecca (MBM) in third. In the women's event, MBM came second, followed by Cymot Racing Team Ladies Orange.

Last year's WPP 3 individual men's and women's race winners, Drikus Coetzee and Anri Krugel, will defend their titles. Coetzee said he was looking forward to this year's event as he aims to gauge his fitness following his ultraendurance debacle in Morocco.

“I am still not where I want to be in terms of fitness after what happened in Morocco. I am getting there, and this race will help me see how far I have progressed,” he said.

Meanwhile, Krugel said the WWP3 has always been her favourite event, as team dynamics always come into play.

Speaking on the preparations of the race, Nedbank Namibia Communications and Public Relations Manager Selma Kaulinge said: “This edition of the series will be quite interesting after its two-month hiatus. We hope all cyclists are geared up and ready to take on the route in this road race. In the same breath, we are also excited for next weekend's Rock and Rut XC1 UCI C1 and Junior XCO race, which will see local and possibly international mountain bike cyclists take on the IJG Trails. Our contributions into the development of the Namibian cycling fraternity have enabled our cyclists to excel in both classes of cycling and we are excited to see the showdown in these back-toback events,” added Kaulinge.

This will be the third leg of the sixevent series scheduled for this year.