By Kuvee Kangueehi WINDHOEK The Head of Marketing and Social Investments Pangwa Gabriel on Tuesday morning launched the annual Nedbank Namibia Cycle Tour in the capital. It is the 20th consecutive year that the bank has sponsored the fun event, which will take place on 12 February. Speaking at the launch Gabriel said since its inception in 1986, the Nedbank Cycle Tour has become the biggest event in terms of participants on the sporting calendar. ” It is the event that year after year spurs enthusiasm and excitement amongst Nedbankers, our clients and non-clients who join us as cyclists, supporters and spectators.” He noted that many of the Nedbank Namibia tour participants are regulars in the Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town, one of the world’s biggest cycling events. “The Tour de France is by far the most prestigious of all cycling competitions in the world, a household name around the globe, even amongst people who are not generally interested in cycling,” he elaborated, adding that the tour is to cycling what the FIFA World Cup is to soccer in terms of popularity, and it the world’s largest annual professional sporting event, measured in the number of viewers. Gabriel also introduced incentives for participants and said anybody who enters the Nedbank Namibia Cycle Tour and wants to buy a house before 31 March 2006 or wants to bring their home loan to Nedbank Namibia, will receive a rate of prime minus 1,75%. Plus, he added: “As market leader in asset based and vehicle financing, we are delighted to offer participants and co-sponsors an interest rate of prime minus 1.5% on all deals from now until 31 March 2006.” Another incentive that Nedbank Namibia is giving away are ten savings accounts to ten lucky draw entrants of the Nedbank Namibia Cycle Tour. ” The first five will be drawn amongst all early entrants on 25January 2006 and the last will be drawn on 10 February 2006 before the Nedbank Cycle Tour.” Gabriel also took the opportunity to thank the co-sponsors of the Nedbank Namibia Cycle Tour race, namely, Namibia Beverages, Namibia Health Plan (NHP), Radio Wave and Windhoek Pedal Power. ” All these partners contribute in special ways in terms of making the Nedbank Namibia Cycle Tour a huge success,” he said, adding that as the tour reaches its 21st milestone, the bank looks forward to growing the event even more in the future.