Cyclists gather in Mombasa in medal hunt
Cycling
The first six members of the Namibian Cycling Federation’s national team arrived in the Kenyan coastal city of Mombasa yesterday morning to compete at the 2025 CAC African Road Cycling Championship, starting today from until Sunday 23 November.
National coach Hans du Toit says the country’s best available competitors have been selected, with an added element of including worthy riders with a view to development for the future.
Additionally, three-time Olympic rider and former African title holder Vera Looser was not available for selection, while junior rider Rosemarie Thiel was eliminated after fracturing her hand during the recent Ride Joburg event in Gauteng.
According to Du Toit, most of the races will entail laps along a route along the quick, flat coastal terrain, before a climb of approximately 350 vertical metres towards the finish line.
The selected cyclists include Delsia Janse van Vuuren, Roger Surén and Marco Thiel who already competed at the UCI World Road Cycling Championship held in Rwanda’s capital Kigali during September. During their 119 km junior men road race, Thiel’s challenge ended when he fell during lap two, while Surén finished in 44th position, with only South Africa and Eritrea ahead of him among the African nations.
Janse van Vuuren completed the junior women’s 74 km in 57th place with Rwanda (two riders) and Ethiopia as the only African nations ahead of her. Both South Africa’s riders did not finish; neither did Nigeria, Burundi, Benin, Kenya or Lesotho.
Namibia’s selection:
Junior women: Delsia Janse van Vuuren (age 17).
Elite women: Anri Greeff (30), Louise Breed (41), Olivia Shililifa (23).
Junior men: Roger Surén (18), Marco Thiel (17), Christiaan van der Westhuizen (17).
Elite men: Alex Miller (turns 25 on Thursday), Martin Freyer (30), Theuns van der Westhuizen (U23 men; age 20).
National coach Hans du Toit says the country’s best available competitors have been selected, with an added element of including worthy riders with a view to development for the future.
Additionally, three-time Olympic rider and former African title holder Vera Looser was not available for selection, while junior rider Rosemarie Thiel was eliminated after fracturing her hand during the recent Ride Joburg event in Gauteng.
According to Du Toit, most of the races will entail laps along a route along the quick, flat coastal terrain, before a climb of approximately 350 vertical metres towards the finish line.
The selected cyclists include Delsia Janse van Vuuren, Roger Surén and Marco Thiel who already competed at the UCI World Road Cycling Championship held in Rwanda’s capital Kigali during September. During their 119 km junior men road race, Thiel’s challenge ended when he fell during lap two, while Surén finished in 44th position, with only South Africa and Eritrea ahead of him among the African nations.
Janse van Vuuren completed the junior women’s 74 km in 57th place with Rwanda (two riders) and Ethiopia as the only African nations ahead of her. Both South Africa’s riders did not finish; neither did Nigeria, Burundi, Benin, Kenya or Lesotho.
Namibia’s selection:
Junior women: Delsia Janse van Vuuren (age 17).
Elite women: Anri Greeff (30), Louise Breed (41), Olivia Shililifa (23).
Junior men: Roger Surén (18), Marco Thiel (17), Christiaan van der Westhuizen (17).
Elite men: Alex Miller (turns 25 on Thursday), Martin Freyer (30), Theuns van der Westhuizen (U23 men; age 20).
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article