Nairobi — Jordan Schleck closed out the 2024 LOOP Safari Gravel Series with a bang when he won the fourth and final leg of the competition at the Vipingo Ridge in Kilifi County on Sunday.
Schleck clocked 4:40:50 to finish first in the 120km men's elite category, ahead of Joel Kyaviro (4:57:37) and Stanley Ngugi (5:00:55) in second and third respectively.
The Team Amani rider was in seventh heaven after collecting what is his second win in the series.
"I am happy to be here...trying to raise the sport and push myself. The race has been enjoyable but challenging. The course has been good...I can't complain. There are some good trails...personally I have enjoyed it," Schleck said.
Prior to his win on Sunday, Schleck had triumphed at the first leg of the series in Tatu City.
In the women's category, Aleper Mary clocked 6:26:16 to emerge first, ahead of Kendra Masige (6:42:00) and Monica Jelimo (6:46:12) in second and third respectively.
Rosemary Wairimu was overall winner in the 60KM LOOP after clocking 2:03:47 whereas Nicholas Barasa took top honours in the men's category in 2:03:49.
Kelvin Kazungu and Kate Crowley were victors in the men and women's category of the 20Km LOOP after clocking 1:40:09 hrs and 1:42:01 respectively.
In the team's category, Black Mamba rode home Ksh 250,000 richer after finishing first, ahead of Kenyan Riders (Ksh 200,000) and Ariyas Solar Vortex (Ksh 150,000) in second and third respectively.
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Speaking on the sidelines, LOOP Digital Financial Services CEO Eric Muriuki exalted the level of competition, which kept increasing with every leg of the series.
"The final leg of the LOOP Safari Gravel Series in Vipingo was a true celebration of athleticism and perseverance. The journey from the first leg to this grand finale has been nothing short of remarkable. We've seen the sport grow, with more participants and higher levels of competition at each stage," Muriuki said.
He added: "Our commitment to nurturing this sport is stronger than ever, and we are already looking forward to next year's series, where we plan to build on this year's success with new challenges and expanded partnerships. We aim to create a platform for cycling as an enterprise to benefit cyclist and as a platform where through partnerships corporates can get value."
In line with LOOP DFS's commitment to sustainability, participants also planted over 200 trees during the event, contributing to environmental conservation efforts in the region.
The Vipingo leg also saw entry of new sponsors, including Visa, while Huawei continued as the prize money sponsor, awarding Ksh 20,000, Ksh 15,000 and Ksh 10,000 respectively for the top three positions in the 120KM men's and women's elite races.
The LOOP Safari Gravel Series is organized by AMANI Project, with LOOP DFS as the title sponsors and Huawei as the prize money sponsor.
