Greef, Miller take top honours at Nedbank National Individual Time Trials and Road Race 

11 February 2025 

Namibian elite male cyclist and 2024 Olympian, Alex Miller, and elite women cyclist, Anri Greef took top honours in the Nedbank National Individual Time Trials (ITT) and Road Race (RR) events which took place on 7 and 9 February at the Matchless Mine in Windhoek.

Miller dominated the road race event, winning the 160-kilometre race in a time of four hours, four minutes, and 45 seconds (04:04:45) ahead of second-placed Martin Freyer, who was almost 10 minutes behind in a time of 04:14:24 in second place.

Third place was taken by Brandon Plaatjes, who clocked 04:33:04 in sunny conditions in the capital.

In the women’s elite competition, Greef dominated the 100-kilometre race from start to finish, clocking 03:14:07, ahead of Louise Breed, who was a distant second with a time of 3:37:24.45.

Third place went to Jean-Marie Mostert, who clocked 3:37:27.91.

Speaking after the race, Miller said it is always a privilege to wear the national jersey, especially now that he has signed with his new Italian team, Swatt Team, which will see him compete on the European circuit starting next week in Spain.

“I enjoyed the course. Well done to the organisers for putting together such a challenging course. These are national championships; it needs to be a little bit harder and be on par with some of the other countries, maybe South Africa. We need to raise the level a bit so that we can compete against the South Africans when they come here and when we go there. I am pleased that the route was decent,” he said.

Miller added that the plan was just to ride hard on all the climbs, as he knew he would be able to get away from the group at some point.

Meanwhile, Greef said it was a race that suited her style because of the many climbs along the route.

“I managed to get a break quite early in the race and I managed to keep it that way with the many hills and climbs along the way,” she said.

Greef added that even with her comfortable lead of over 10 minutes, she pushed herself hard as she was preparing for the Tour de Windhoek, a race that sees international riders participate.

She added that sometimes having such a huge lead leads to complacency as one gets into a static state. Hence, it's important to keep one’s head on the shoulders and focus on the job at hand.

Meanwhile, Miller and Greef also won the 2024 Nedbank Namibia Individual Time Trials (ITT) on Friday at the same venue.

In the elite man’s category, Miller clocked 59:09 ahead of Freyer, who clocked 01:02:49 in second place.

Third place went to Danzel de Koe who finished with a time of 01:08:39.

In the Elite Women’s race, Greef came first with a time of 35:35 ahead of second-placed Breed who clocked 38:24. Third place was taken by Mostert in a time of 39:00.

Speaking at the prize-giving ceremony, Namibian Cycling Federation President, Tauko Shilongo said they were pleased with the outcome of this year’s championships, which were overshadowed by the passing of the Founding Father (FF) Sam Nujoma, who had died the evening before the road race competition.

“While we mourn the passing of the Founding Father, let us also celebrate this occasion because his (FF) sacrifices made it possible for us to be here today. Congratulations to the winners of the newly designed national jersey; wear it with pride as you represent Namibia in various competitions,” he said.

Nedbank Namibia's Head of Marketing and Communications, Gernot de Klerk congratulated the winners saying while it was expected to be difficult for the cyclists to perform following the sad news of the passing of Nujoma, the athletes had shown great commitment and competitiveness, displaying quality racing throughout the weekend.

The prize-giving ceremony was also attended by deputy minister of Sport, Youth, and National Service, Emma Kantema-Gaomas, who paid tribute to the NCF Exco for organising a top-class event despite the country going through a difficult time.

“As a ministry, we hold these events in high regard. We try to encourage federations to focus on developmental programs. Cycling recently won an award at the Namibia Sports Awards for best developmental programs by a federation,” she said.

She added that preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics have already started, and they are hoping that the NCF will provide the majority of athletes for the event.

She paid tribute to the parents and supporters of the cyclists and congratulated the winners, saying their commitment and dedication will produce the desired results while encouraging those who did not win to try once more.

The competition saw the crowning of the 2025 national champions who will have the honour of wearing the Namibian jersey in local and international competitions. The following cyclists were presented national jerseys during the prize-giving ceremony: Miller (elite men both RR and ITT), Greef (elite woman both ITT and RR), Rodger Suren (men under 18 ITT), Delsia Janse van Vuuren (women under 18 ITT), Justus Beulker (men under 23 ITT and RR), Monique du Plessis (women under 23 ITT and RR), Sean Lowe (men under 18 RR), and Rosemarie Thiel (women under 18 RR).