By Staff Reporter
WINDHOEK – The popular Kia mountain bike series will kick off this weekend when Namibia’s elite riders take to the south to compete in the 4th Klein-Aus Vista Mountainbike Challenge.
The first part of the two-day race through the Aus mountains will start today at 7.30am with the second stage on Saturday morning. Riders compete in either the full marathon (70 km) or the half marathon (35km).
A total of 144 riders have confirmed their participation including defending champion, Tristan de Lange. The men’s division also includes Kia riders Martin Freyer and Michael Pretorius, while the likes of Heinrich Köhne, Herbert Peters and Nick du Plessis who are among the best local mountain bikers are likely to stage a serious challenge.
The winner will walk away with N$10 000 in prize monies, while the woman’s division will see the likes of Irene Steyn and Michelle Voster going head-to-head for the first prize of N$7 500.
“The popularity of the race has grown significantly since its launch four years ago and the contribution of our sponsors such as Kia Motors, Standard Bank, Gondwana Collection and Maerua Superspar have been key to making this particular race successful,” said race organizer Piet Swiegers.