WINDHOEK – The cycling pair of Martin Freyer and Michael Pretorius both 17, from the reputable Kia cycling team had to settle for 2nd and 3rd place respectively as Tristan de Lange took charge of the gruelling 64-kilometre Skyride mountain bike marathon in Windhoek last weekend.
All three riders started in the Junior Men’s category with Freyer completing the demanding course (two laps of 23-kilometres) considered by many to be the toughest single day race in Namibia, in a respectable time of 03:08:55. However, this was not enough to beat De Lange who only needed 02:52:03 for the same route. Pretorius came in 3rd in a time of 03:13:00. The trio recorded the best times in all race categories.
For Freyer and his Kia team mate Pretorius, the race was an ideal platform to measure where they are currently in terms of physical condition before the pair, along with three other riders, travel to Pietermaritzburg to participate in the Mountain Bike World Championships which gets going on August 26.
Said Freyer: “After a long break due to health reasons, this was my first race after the nationals. My legs did fine, but I could feel my lungs weren’t quite ready yet.”
The two cyclists are currently in full preparation for the event in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal, while this week they will only engage in a maximum 2-hour cycling per day.
Freyer and Pretorius will be travelling to Pietermaritzburg with modest goals as both hope to carve themselves a place among the top 50, while a likely spot in the top 20 would be considered a huge success.
By Staff Reporter