Team Hollard clean-sweep 2025 WPP season

12 May 2025 

Team Hollard dominated the 2025 Nedbank Windhoek Power Pedal Race Series (WPP) by winning the overall men's and women’s individual and team categories following Jacques Hanekom and Anri Greeff’s victory on Sunday, 11 May, on the Heroes Acre Bridge. 

Hollard’s Hanekom, who was backed by his teammates, finished third in the overall individual standings after crossing the line first in the sixth and last race of the season in a time of two hours 34 minutes and ten seconds (02:34:10).

Drikus Coetzee (970 points) claimed the men's overall title, Roger Suren (745 points), who did not participate in the final race of the season, secured second place in the overall individual men's category, and Hanekom (720 points) claimed third place.

On the day, Hanekom was followed by teammate Martin Freyer, who clocked 02:34:39 in second place, and Nicolaas Swart Hollard Ambassadors, who finished the race closely at 02:34:40. 

In the elite women's category, Greef defended her title by clocking 02:29:39, while Marissa Mouton of Food Lovers Market Ladies was second in a time of 02:29:39, followed by Rosemarie Thiel of CYMOT Ladies Racing Team in third with a time of 02:29:39.

In the elite men’s team standings, Hollard scored 134 points in first place, followed by Team MBM Men, who scored 117 in second place. 

Third place belonged to the CYMOT men's racing team 2025, who scored 115 points. Team Hollard, which consisted of Greeff, Louise Breed, Marion Schoneke, and Marguerite Verwey, scored 76 points to claim the elite women's title, followed by the Food Lovers Market Ladies Team of Marissa Mouton, Michelle Doman, Jana Von Backstrom, and Jacky Shipena, who scored 58 points.

Third place went to CYMOT Ladies Racing Team of Rosemarie Thiel, Nicola Fester, Jean Marie Mostert and Susan Pieters, who collected 52 points.

Speaking after the race, Hanekom said he was very excited to secure his first elite race victory while paying tribute to his teammate for executing the strategy well:

‘It is my first ever win, so I'm very excited. I couldn’t have won without my teammates, especially Martin (Freyer), who devised today’s strategy, which worked out perfectly for my victory.’

Elite women’s winner, Anri Greeff, said she enjoyed the race even though it was windy and cold: 

‘As a team, we are pleased to take positions one and two today, as well as the overall win. The tactic was to try to get the second position today. It's good that I won today and the overall WPP series, so I am happy to defend the title.’ 

Greeff added that there are a couple of races coming up locally and, hopefully, more in South Africa. 

Race organiser, Stefanus Feris from the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club, said they had quite a favourable turnout throughout the season:

‘We had a successful season in terms of participation. In our previous race (the time trial), we had excellent competition and a quality field. The ladies were also quite strong this year. The younger riders are coming through very strong as well.’ 

He added that the challenges were mostly route planning, cyclist safety, and some unforeseen circumstances, like wild animals popping up on the side of the road during races: 

‘The safety concern is always our main priority. When you start to plan races, the riders need to be safe. We also had to consider that other road users may become agitated by the presence of cyclists. We always try to minimise all these dangers and get the riders safely to the finish line.’

He concluded that next season, they will try to bring in new events while also exploring the possibility of getting the Dordabis race back on the calendar. 

Meanwhile, Nedbank Namibia's Communication and Public Relations Manager, Selma Kaulinge, congratulated WPP for hosting a successful season, saying they are already excited for the 2026 season:

‘On behalf of Nedbank Namibia, I extend our warmest congratulations to the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club, for executing yet another exceptional cycling season, culminating in six successful races for 2025. As money experts who do good, we are immensely proud of our long-standing association with WPP and the incredible work they do to elevate the profile of cycling in our nation. Nedbank Namibia remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting cycling events that not only showcase athletic prowess but also foster community spirit and healthy lifestyles.’

Kaulinge encouraged WPP to continue and expand its efforts to recruit more cyclists from previously disadvantaged communities, ensuring that the benefits of this sport are accessible to all:

‘We urge the organisers to continuously innovate and work diligently to increase the number of participants and draw even larger crowds of enthusiastic fans to these wonderful events. To all the cyclists who participated, your dedication and spirit are truly inspiring. Congratulations to the winners on your remarkable achievements - your hard work has paid off. To those who may not have achieved their desired results this season, we encourage you to persevere, train harder, and come back even stronger next year.’