The 2026 Nedbank Namibian National Road and Time Trial Championships will take place from Friday to Sunday in Windhoek.
The two-day cycling competition will take place on the new A1 Dr Hage Geingob Freeway (Hosea Kutako International Airport Road), with potentially over 120 cyclists participating.
The competition will see International Cycling Union (UCI) categories, namely, elite, U/23, and junior riders, competing for the honour of wearing the Namibia national champion jersey on the global stage for the remainder of the 2026 season.
For the Individual Time Trials (ITT) on Friday, the elite and U/23 men will cycle a total distance of 42 kilometres (km), making three loops of the 14km distance from Ongolo Bridge turnoff and back.
The elite and U/23 women will cycle 28km (two loops). For the road race (RR) on Sunday, the elite and U/23 women will cycle 114km from the Dordabis bridge towards Windhoek until the Avis bridge, where they will turn right onto Sam Nujoma Drive.
The riders will ride for 3km along Sam Nujoma Drive, then turn right onto the Trans-Kalahari Corridor B6 to the Otjihase road turnoff, where they will turn right towards the Finkenstein bridge.
At the bridge, they turn left onto the slipway heading east on Dr Hage Geingob Freeway towards the airport to finish the race on the slipway up to the Ongolo bridge.
The elite and U/23 men will cycle 165km from the bridge over Dr Hage Geingob Freeway, which leads to the Ongolo lodge and campsite.
Then, they will turn left onto the slipway going towards the city, to complete a Windhoek loop before finishing on the same slipway at the Ongolo bridge.
Last year, Olympic participant and elite rider, Alex Miller, retained his national jersey for the second successive year in the elite men’s competition, while Anri Greef claimed her first national championship victory in the elite women’s competition.
Miller and Greef won their national titles by winning both the ITT and RR after dominating the two events.
The general secretary of the Namibian Cycling Federation, Elanor Grassow, said preparations are going well, with online registration ongoing until today at 17h00.
Registration can be done on www.namevents.com, and number collection will be done on Thursday between 17h00 and 18h00 at the Nedbank Campus Ground Floor Lobby. “We are on track with our preparations, and we expect over 120 cyclists to register and participate in this event. We will make sure that the safety of riders is taken care of with the help of a police escort, and we urge road users to be patient with the riders during the race,” she said.
Grassow added that the race will be adjudicated by local UCI accredited commissaires, while the police and the marshals will add to the officiating of the race. On the importance of the national championships, Grassow said these competitions does not only help determine the best cyclists in the country, but also recognise their achievements, inspire them to strive for excellence, and encourage the next generation of cyclists.
Nedbank Namibia’s chief commercial officer, JG van Graan, said the championships are more than just supporting a race. “It is about creating a consistent platform for talent to thrive and encouraging a healthy, active lifestyle for all Namibians. We are proud to be fostering a legacy for the nation’s cycling landscape,” he said.
The bank promotes cycling events, including the world-famous Desert Dash, the Cycle Challenge, and the Windhoek Pedal Power Series.
-lmupetami@nepc.com.na