Looser Wins Again!
Nedbank Desert Dash
Konny Looser and Belinda van Rhyn were the biggest winners at this year's Nedbank Desert Dash, cycling 401 kilometers through the Namib from Windhoek to Swakopmund.
Konny Looser clinched his eighth Nedbank Desert Dash victory, crossing the finish line one second ahead of Munga champion Drikus Coetzee on Saturday in Swakopmund. This was Looser’s tenth Nedbank Desert Dash, and he won in a time of 15:01:29, with Coetzee finishing close behind at 15:01:30.
Belinda van Rhyn, a two-time champion in the ladies’ division, claimed victory with a time of 18:46:59.
For Looser and Coetzee, the race turned into a sprint to the finish line.
“This one was special," Looser said. "I felt comfortable at the beginning, but then Drikus had other plans and decided to attack at the second water point. I was working with Martin, and I overpaced a bit. The heat caught up to me, along with my stomach issues, as always. I thought I could give my body some time to recover and eat enough, but it was hard to eat. I cycled at my own pace, and Alex caught up. At the halfway point, I was about 12 minutes behind, which is a big gap in the loose sand.”
Looser said he decided to keep pushing ahead and eventually closed the gap between himself and Coetzee.
“I knew he’s super strong on the flats, and I can’t push that hard there, so it was a bit of a gamble. It ended in a sprint between us. I have bad memories of losing a sprint, so I went through a lot of emotions. I mean, 12 minutes – this shows again in this race, you should never give up. It was a good race until the end.”
Coetzee, meanwhile, praised Looser as a deserving champion. “I gave it my all after the last race of the season. Honestly, I’m surprised at how I performed today, especially after cycling 1 100 kilometres six days ago. As for next year, as an endurance athlete, I’ll most likely be back, but I won’t be doing The Munga. I’m preparing for the Mountain Race in Morocco, which I also participated in this February. I’ll definitely focus more on ultra-endurance races at a national level.”
Ladies
Belinda van Rhyn, who completed the Dash in 18:46:33, was guided to the finish line by fellow solo cyclist Brandon Stiger. “I couldn’t see. The cream I used for my legs ended up in my eyes,” she said.
Stiger added that he was in sixth or seventh place when he noticed Van Rhyn struggling. “I just thought about doing the right thing and getting her to the finish line. She really deserves it. For me, it was better that she took the win.”
Van Rhyn said she feels fantastic. “I had no plan; I was cycling to enjoy the Dash. It was a fantastic experience. We would have been at the finish line about two hours earlier, but we got caught by the wind. I’m truly thankful for Brandon’s assistance. The Lord’s grace carried me.”
Notably, 86-year-old Bill Jooste also participated, completing the Half Dash two-person category with his grandson, Connor Gibson, in a time of 12:02:10. Jooste was the oldest competitor at the Dash and has always competed in the solo category.
The rest of the results are as follows:
Solo men:
1. Konny Looser (15:01:29)
2. Drikus Coetzee (15:01:30)
3. Gareth Jooste (15:17:36)
4. Martin Freyer (15:17:41)
5. Aaron Wehde (16:20:58)
Solo ladies:
1. Belinda van Rhyn (18:46:59)
2. Nicola Fester (19:11:27)
3. Irene Steyn (19:23:16)
4. Anri Greeff (19:31:49)
5. Jodi Zulberg (20:03:12)
Two-person mixed:
1. Alex Miller and Caroline Bohe (14:42:50)
2. Vera Looser and Daniel Abraham (14:48:51)
3. Melissa Hinz and Jacques Hannekom (16:08:25)
Two-person men:
1. Alan Gordon and Adriaan Myburgh (15:32:21)
2. Stefan Sander and Tyrone Kotze (16:17:58)
3. Simon Kaita and Maruen Kleopas (16:18:20)
Two-person ladies:
1. Cindy Friebel and Jaulika Pahl (17:38:53)
2. Maike Bochert and Marion Schönecke (20:47:35)
3. Larozelle van der Westhuizen and Este van der Merwe (21:16:31)
Four-person men:
1. Christiaan Janse van Rensburg, Kai Pritzen, Marc Pritzen and Kevin Lowe (14:02:29)
2. Justus Beulker, Brandon Plaatjies, Roger Suren and Brandon Downes (14:11:55)
3. Theuns van der Bank, Du Toit van der Bergh, Waldo Zevenster, and Reece McDonald (14:12:00)
Four-person mixed:
1. Marco Thiel, Rosemarie Thiel, Monique du Plessis and Murray Koch (15:56:11)
2. Michael Falk, Charles Koster, Ada Kahl and Michelle Döhman (16:43:41)
3. Hester Prins, Nelius Burger, Marguerite Verwey and Christo Janse van Rensburg (16:51:36)
Four-person ladies:
1. Lucy Young, Genevieve Weber, Monique Taylor and Delsia Janse van Vuuren (17:00:16)
2. Silke Bean, Luanne van der Schyff, Jeanne Heunis and Monika Szczepan-Krüger (18:04:34)
3. Jana von Backstrom, Almari de Milander, Jana Kehrmann, and Jana van Dyk (18:42:14)
Half Dash solo men:
1. Fanie Steenkamp (08:33:58)
2. Jaco Lamprecht (08:33:59)
3. Clauss Bekes (08:47:07)
Half Dash solo women:
1. Anri Parker (10:06:16)
2. Estelle Lambert (11:19:45)
3. Astrid Helm (12:06:40)
Half Dash two-person men:
1. Nick du Plessis and Christopher du Plessis (08:35:14)
2. Marcel Suren and Eckhard Waldschmidt (09:03:58)
3. Ulande Viljoen and Fourie Steyn (09:15:34)
Half Dash two-person ladies:
1. Lorinda Viljoen and Estelle van Zyl (09:41:45)
2. Tarien van Zyl and Christine Mouton (10:04:27)
3. Rina Engelbrecht and Wanda Tattersall (10:08:02)