U/23 cyclist Kevin Lowe and elite women cyclist, Nicole Fester, won the 2023 Nedbank Rock and Rut XC3 Mountain Bike men and women’s competitions at the IJG Trails in Farm Windhoek on Sunday.
Lowe beat a strong field of competitors in a time of 1 hour 2 minutes 40 seconds (1:2:40) to win the race for the second consecutive time.
He overcame Daniel Hahn, who clocked 1:5:52 seconds in second place, while Adrian Key was third place in 1:8:02 seconds.
In the elite men’s competition, Xavier Papo came first in 1:13:30 seconds followed by Simon Kaita who had multiple mechanical problems and a puncture during the race in a time of 1:14:45 seconds in second and FC Smith came third in 1:17 minutes.
In the sub-veteran men, Petrus Human came first followed by Ananias Tamati on second and Micheal Falk in third.
The veteran men’s race was won by Vernon Maresch, ahead of Philip Steyn in second and Louis Prins in third.
In the elite women’s competition, Fester came home first in a time of 1:07:03 seconds ahead of Madison Mahn who clocked 1:12:26 seconds.
The third place was taken by Walvis Bay-based Luanne van der Schyff in 1:15:49 seconds.
Sub vet women’s competition was won by Hester Prins ahead of Benita Windsch. Veteran Women was won by Irene Steyn ahead of Marion Schonecke.
Speaking after the race, Lowe said that he enjoyed the race. “It was not a typical cross-country course, not with many technical obstacles. It has only one difficult climb, it was kind of a marathon, but I enjoyed it,” he said.
On her part, Fester said the race was fun as the weather played along. “It was a good track, something different, difficult but a load of fun. I am looking forward to the next race on 8 July at the same venue. The competition is always great amongst the ladies,” Fester said.
This year’s event took place at a new racecourse which saw cyclists struggle to adjust to the terrain, and in turn made the race interesting for the cyclists and spectators alike.
Nedbank Namibia communication and PR manager Selma Kaulinge congratulated the cyclists and organisers on an impeccable job.
“Having this new racetrack must have had been an exciting experience for the cyclists. Different racetracks in the long run will assist the cyclists as they will be faced with uneven and unfamiliar terrains when they cycle on international stages,” she said.
The final race of the Nedbank XC Race Series will take place on Saturday, 8 July.