Miller and Van der Schyff win first Nedbank XC Race Series
Namibian cyclist and 2022 CAC MTB African Champion, Alex Miller and Swakopmund-based elite woman cyclist, Luanne van der Schyff, won the first race of the year in the Nedbank XC race series – the Nedbank XC0 at the IJG Trails in Kleine Kuppe on Saturday.The MTB race saw over 100 cyclists riding in various categories, including Marathon Men and Women, Nipper Boys u/10, Nipper Girls, Sprog Boys and Girls u/12, E-Bike Men and Women, Sub-Junior Boys and Girls u/14, Youth Boys and Girls u/16, Rhino Men, Grandmaster Men and Women, Elite and u/23 Men and Women, Sub Vet Men and Women, Veteran Men and Women, and Master Men and Women.
Alex Miller won the 7-lap elite race in a time of 01:20:39, while Luanne van der Schyff took honours in the Elite and u/23 Women’s category’s 4-lap race, in a time of 01:10:18.
Commenting on the event, Miller said that it was great fun taking part in the race. “The first cross-country round of the Nedbank Rock and Rut series of the year was fun. It’s great to see the number of people turning up. For me personally, it was a good training race, and I hope to see more people come to the next event,” he said.
Coming from Swakopmund to win the first race of the series, Van der Schyff, said she was happy about winning the race, but stated that there is still more work to be done to improve her form. “We need to come to Windhoek often for the climbs and train a lot harder as there is more room for improvement,” she said.
Nedbank Namibia Communication and PR Manager, Selma Kaulinge, congratulated all the cyclists who took part in the races and mentioned that it’s only going to get better this year.
“Having over 100 cyclists take part in the first cross-country race of the series is amazing to see. We are excited to see what this year has in store for us as we get to witness, some new and returning talent cycle in one of the country’s best mountain bike cycling events. Just over a year ago, we hosted the 2022 African CAC MTB Championships at IJG Trails and crowned a Namibian as the African Champion, which shows us that our country has the facilities to host prestigious regional events and cultivate talent which can represent and achieve top honours at major cycling events. We are truly privileged to be a leading partner to cycling in Namibia,” Kaulinge said.
The Nedbank XC Series continues on 7 and 8 April with the XC1 UCI C1 and UCI Junior World Series XC0; Saturday, 6 May with the XC2; Saturday, 17 June with XC3; and the final race of the series – the XC4 will take place on Saturday, 8 July.