Namibians excel in Cape Town Cycle Tour
Windhoek-born South African national road race champion Marc Pritzen (22) won his first title in the 108 km Cape Town Cycle Tour in rainy conditions yesterday morning.
The wet weather proved to be no danger for the best of the best, taking on the “most beautiful bike race in the world”.
With less than 10 kilometres to go, it was a battle until the end between the breakaway frontrunners Pritzen of Team Honeycomb, Sascha Weber of Germany and HB Kruger of South Africa.
Kruger was one of the pre-race favourites to win, but the former SA champ and recent Pupkewitz Tour de Windhoek winner Pritzen pedalled his way to claim the gold in two hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds.
Namibia’s Jean-Paul Burger (fifth) and Drikus Coetzee (seventh) also achieved their best-ever finishes at the prestigious race. The two former triathletes are the current Namibian national time-trial and national road race champions respectively.
Burger’s top-10 finish would certainly boost his chances of making the Namibian Cycling Federation’s selection as a road cyclist - along with Coetzee - for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, set to be held in Birmingham, England, in July.
Looser fourth
In the women’s race, Namibian road race and time-trial champion Vera Looser finished in fourth place, fifteen seconds behind winner Kim le Court of Mauritius (2:08:44) and South African pair Hayley Preen and Candice Lill.
Looser in 2018 achieved a second place in the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
As a two-time Olympian, the 28-year-old is also the frontrunner to book one of the country’s total of five spots for Birmingham. The final configuration is yet to be decided among the men, women, road cyclists or mountain bikers.
The wet weather proved to be no danger for the best of the best, taking on the “most beautiful bike race in the world”.
With less than 10 kilometres to go, it was a battle until the end between the breakaway frontrunners Pritzen of Team Honeycomb, Sascha Weber of Germany and HB Kruger of South Africa.
Kruger was one of the pre-race favourites to win, but the former SA champ and recent Pupkewitz Tour de Windhoek winner Pritzen pedalled his way to claim the gold in two hours, 37 minutes and 54 seconds.
Namibia’s Jean-Paul Burger (fifth) and Drikus Coetzee (seventh) also achieved their best-ever finishes at the prestigious race. The two former triathletes are the current Namibian national time-trial and national road race champions respectively.
Burger’s top-10 finish would certainly boost his chances of making the Namibian Cycling Federation’s selection as a road cyclist - along with Coetzee - for the upcoming Commonwealth Games, set to be held in Birmingham, England, in July.
Looser fourth
In the women’s race, Namibian road race and time-trial champion Vera Looser finished in fourth place, fifteen seconds behind winner Kim le Court of Mauritius (2:08:44) and South African pair Hayley Preen and Candice Lill.
Looser in 2018 achieved a second place in the Cape Town Cycle Tour.
As a two-time Olympian, the 28-year-old is also the frontrunner to book one of the country’s total of five spots for Birmingham. The final configuration is yet to be decided among the men, women, road cyclists or mountain bikers.
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