Conrad Marais and Benita Windisch emerged victorious in the last Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP6) Series on Sunday at Tony Rust Racing Track on the outskirts of Windhoek.
In the men’s competition, Marais clocked 00:21:45 to win the first-ever WPP criterion race (crit race), ahead of Frank Klosta, who clocked 00:22:21 in second place, and Jan Louis Mostert, who was third in a time of 00:23:09.
Windisch won the women’s competition in a time of 00:26:34, with Corné van Wyk coming in second with a time of 00:23:48, and Maike Bochert coming in third with a time of 00:24:53.
In the teams competition, Hollard Insurance, comprised of Drikus Coetzee, Jaques Hanekom, Ingram Cuff, Adrian Key, Gerhard Breed and Horst Neumann continued their dominance as they came first ahead of Cymot Racing Team of Murray Koch, JG van der Westhuizen, Kai Pritzen and Gino Chiappini in second. Team Hollard Life, consisting of Martin Freyer, Danzel de Koe, Nicolaas Swart, Andre Vermeulen, Theo Steenkamp and Clinton Hilfiker, secured third place.
The team classifications are complete after six races, with Hollard Insurance (men) coming out on top after scoring 106 points this season.
Cymot Racing Team follows them with 105 points in second place, while MBM is third with 94 points. In the women’s competition, Hollard Ladies came first with 72 points, followed by Cymot Ladies Racing Team in second, who scored 43 points, ahead of third-placed MBM Ladies with 41 points.
One of the organisers from WPP, Stefanus Feris, said they were happy with this year’s proceedings as everything went smoothly.
“Firstly, I would like to pay tribute to our main sponsor Nedbank Namibia, whose support cannot be over-emphasised. Thank you, all our partners and our mother body Namibia Cycling, for your unwavering support throughout the year. To the cyclists, their families, friends and our incredible fans – thank you for your passion and commitment, which truly brought each race to life,” he said.
He added that they are looking forward to next year when they plan to introduce new competitive and innovative elements to the Nedbank Namibia WPP races.
“These changes are designed to elevate the experience for both riders and fans alike. We will share more details with you soon,” he noted.
Nedbank Namibia’s Communications and Public Relations Manager Selma Kaulinge congratulated the organisers for completing the season without any glitches.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to the Windhoek Pedal Power Road Cycling Club for the exceptional organisation of this year’s series. The six races held this year were a true testament to your dedication. The diverse venues and challenging courses added a unique excitement to each event, pushing the cyclists to new heights, and thrilling the fans. We are proud to have been part of such a well-executed series, and we look forward to continuing our partnership in the future,” she said.
Meanwhile, Feris said the date and venue for the 2024 Nedbank Namibia WPP awards ceremony and Annual General Meeting will be announced at a later day.