Xavier Papo and Delsia Janse van Vuuren won the elite categories of the first cross-country Olympic (XCO) race in the Rock & Rut cross-country series in Windhoek on Saturday.
The Rock & Rut Mountain Bike Club has consistently been organising this series for decades, and it has provided the foundation for some of Namibia's greats to compete at the Olympic Games and launch international careers in the sport.
The route was moderately difficult, seeing as it was the first race of the season. It consisted of a 4.3km long lap, with 90m of climbing the riders had to complete up to six times. A shorter, easier route for children and less high-level categories kicked things off early in the morning.
Soon thereafter, the women and older girls started their race on the longer lap. After one hour and 15 minutes, Janse van Vuuren took the win in the elite women's category, while Rosemarie Thiel won the junior women's category.
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Irene Steyn beat Mimi Hough to the veterans' win, while Elanor Grassow and Berrit Graf came first in the masters' and grand masters' categories, respectively.
With temperatures rising, the men proceeded to the start line.
The racing was as hot as the sun, with some of the riders clearly struggling with the intensity after the off season. In the end, Papo saw off Simon Johannes in the elite men's category. Johannes persevered through injury after a crash to complete the race, but reports indicate he is recovering well.
The junior men's category is highly competitive, with most riders even beating the elites. Marco Thiel managed to shake off the chasing pack and win in a time of 1:03:20, six minutes faster than Papo.
The sub-veteran, veteran and master men's categories were won by Petrus Human, Vernon Maresh and Marcel Suren, respectively.
Micah Chase, just back in the country after winning a gold medal in triathlon in South Africa, beat the pack to the under-16 category win.
Cyclists now now have a few weeks to prepare for XC1, at which Union Cycliste Internationalem (UCI) points are up for grabs in some categories.
"This race was important for our riders to build up race fitness. XC1 always attracts many international riders from the region, and we want to see Namibians on the podium. It will give us the chance to see how we measure up against a deeper field," Rock & Rut chairperson Hanso Diehl says.
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XC1 will take place on 18 April at IJG trails in Windhoek.
The public is invited to watch what promises to be an entertaining race and lend the competitors support.
