This year’s edition of the Nedbank Namibian National Cross Country Olympic (XCO) UCI Championship races, saw seven new national mountain bike cyclists receiving national jerseys which they will wear when representing the country in international competitions.

The two-day event took place over the Easter weekend on 7 and 8 April, in Swakopmund, where close to 100 cyclists from different parts of the country participated in the races.

The national UCI sanctioned races included the first ever E-bike, and Short Course XCC race, Elite Men and Women, Under 23 Men, and Junior Men and Women categories, saw Alex Miller winning the Elite Men XCO and Short Course XCC UCI Championship Race; Monique Du Plessis winning the Elite Women XCO and Short Course XCC UCI Championship Race; JG Van Der Westhuizen winning the Men’s Under 23 XCO UCI Championship Race; Kevin Lowe winning the Junior Men’s XCO UCI Championship Race; Eden Spangenberg winning the Junior Women’s XCO UCI Championship Race; Elvira Dickerson winning the inaugural Women’s E-Bike UCI Championship Race; and Andre Steinfurth winning the inaugural Men’s E-Bike UCI Championship Race. 

The Short Course and E-Bike race was a first for Namibian cyclists, which saw the inaugural winners walk away with 50 UCI points to boost their UCI World Ranking. The Elite, Under 23 and Junior Men and Women winners walked away with 100 UCI points each for coming first in the races.

At the prizegiving ceremony, President of the Namibian Cycling Federation, Axel Theissen, thanked all the cyclists who attended the event.

In his speech, Theissen mentioned that Junior Men’s winner, Kevin Lowe, is currently leading the World UCI Under 18 rankings; and that Namibia is ranked number 36 in the world, and second in Africa on the UCI Mountain Bike World Ranking. He concluded his speech by thanking Nedbank Namibia and the organising teams for an impeccable job done. 

Nedbank Namibia Head of Marketing and Communication, Gernot de Klerk; thanked the cyclists who participated in the two-day event, and the organisers who made the first ever Nedbank Namibian National Cross Country Olympic UCI Championship races a success. 

“On behalf of Nedbank Namibia, I would like to extend my appreciation to all the cyclists who participated in the races, and warmest congratulations to the National winners. Your unwavering determination and tenacity is truly inspiring. We are proud to be associated with such exceptional athletes who constantly push themselves to the limits to achieve success,” De Klerk mentioned.

The races were sponsored by Nedbank Namibia, supported by the Namibian Cycling Federation, Seawork Fish Processors, VZ Trucking, Guans Packaging, Cymot, Swakopmund Hire and Sales, Plastilon and Cycles4U.