Drikus Coetzee and Anri Greef took top honours last Sunday, as they delivered solid performances to claim victory in the elite men’s and women’s Nedbank Windhoek Power Pedal (WPP) Race Series 3 at Döbra Loops in Windhoek. 

In the men’s competition, Coetzee claimed first place after clocking 02:19:55, with Roger Suren following in second with a time of 02:21:35, and Marco Thiel in third in a time of 02:21:35.

In the women’s competition, Greef crossed the line in 01:52:50, followed by second-placed Michelle Doman in a time of 01:56:17, a split second ahead of Rosemarie Thiel at 01:56:17 in third place. 

The result means Team MBM Men and Hollard Elite are joint log leaders with 63 points, followed by Cymot Men’s Racing Team in third with 60 points.

Meanwhile, in the women’s competition, Hollard Ladies led the log with 40 points, followed by the Food Lover’s Market Ladies Team with 31 points in second place, and the third-placed Cymot Ladies Racing Team with 26 points.

A relieved Coetzee was delighted with his race on the day, saying he was happy with his performance, having suffered a tyre puncture during the WPP 2 race at the Copper Kettle.

“The guys started easy, and on the second lap, the attacks began with a few guys breaking out. I took it easy at the back, but my teammates made sure I was in the race every time an attack happened. When the moment came in the third lap, I took over the lead,” he said.

Coetzee would be leaving for Morocco for the Atlas Mountain (mountain bike) Race, which is over 1 300 kilometres (km), with 29 000 metres (m) of climbing.

“This race is my main challenge of the year, and if I can pull that off, then my goal for the year would have been met. Later in September, I will go to Spain for Badlands Ultra Endurance – for another 850 km,” he said.

Also speaking after the race, Greef said it was a good race for her and her teammates, who worked well together to help her achieve victory.

“Team tactics worked well to keep the other teams at bay and allow me to ride to victory. I managed to get a break on the second lap, and the team helped me to keep it. It was quite a strong field, so my team worked well together, and kept the other teams at bay,” she said.

Greef added that her focus now turns to the national championship at the end of February. She is also looking forward to a few races in South Africa, and the Union Cycliste Internationale-sanctioned races during the year. 

The next Nedbank WPP race will be in April at the Matchless Mine track.