Hesron Kapanga
Namibia Cycling Federation (NCF) president Tauko Shilongo said this year’s Tour de Windhoek will, for the first time, see female cyclists earning International Cycling Union (UCI) ranking points.
Namibia’s premier international cycling event, the Tour de Windhoek, which features five stages, sees Namibia’s top riders competing against the best from neighbouring countries in a four-day race around the Namibian capital.
Shilongo said female riders competing in the tour will now earn UCI points, as this will be Namibia’s first UCI-sanctioned female race.
“The federation has worked incredibly hard to launch a UCI women’s tour, demonstrating our commitment to female inclusivity in cycling. We pushed to increase participation, and we expect international riders and teams from countries such as Italy, Rwanda and Cameroon. Their involvement is likely to inspire more local female riders to get involved in cycling,” he said.
Shilongo added that preparations for the tour are going very well, with about 98% of the work completed.
“We are just waiting for this phenomenal and unprecedented race in Namibia. We are quite happy and proud of our efforts. While it may sound self-congratulatory, I am genuinely proud of my team, our collaboration and our sponsors.
“Standard Bank is our title sponsor. The government has provided support, and individuals have also contributed financially, so we are truly ready,” Shilongo stated.
The NCF president said this year’s Tour de Windhoek will be attended by the president of the Confederation of African Cycling, who will be observing the race in Namibia’s capital.
“This marks the first time a president of the Confederation of African Cycling has visited Namibia. It is always beneficial to engage with such influential figures so they can see Namibia’s contributions to cycling,” he said.
Shilongo stated that, so far, they have over 120 elite entries and several male teams, which is a record compared to last year.
Participating countries include Rwanda (the host of the World Championships in October), South Africa, Mauritius, Cameroon and Zimbabwe, with close to nine teams that have confirmed.
This year’s race kicked off yesterday and will run until Sunday.
It will begin with a seven-kilometre hill climb at Harmony Hill.
Stage two today will be the Teufelsschlucht road race, with the men covering 120km and the women 83km.
Stage three tomorrow morning features a road race on the Western Bypass-Kupferberg Road, with the men racing 104km and the women 76km.
Stage four is a criterium in central Windhoek tomorrow afternoon, exclusively for the men.
The tour concludes on Sunday morning with stage five, a road race heading out to Matchless Mine, with the men covering 88km and the women 68km.