Marathon sweetens national cycling

Marathon Sugar announced the sponsorship of the first-ever centre for BMX bicycle racing at a Namibian community organisation situated at the KAYEC centre in Windhoek.The new facilities include a custom racetrack and eight donated BMX bicycles, for children's weekly cycling activities. The Marathon Sugar BMX centre supports national goals to make cycling a possibility for future athletes in every part of Namibia.Acting Marketing Officer at Marathon Sugar Danuela Mertens said: “There are children that do not have the privilege to have a bike, or they don't even know how to ride or play with a bike.“That is why we want them also to get that experience and maybe they can go very far. Marathon Sugar love to share sweet moments with the community and KAYEC youth.”The Marathon Sugar BMX centre was inspired by the work of the Namibian Cycling Federation, which aims to increase the number of Namibians who can take up cycling nationwide.The federation also funded a portion of the track at KAYEC which is in line with 2016/17 priorities of the Ministry of sports. Nicola Waterworth, an English coach who visited the centre on 19 January as international development project manager for British Cycling believes the children will learn.“It is really accessible. It is the cooler thing for children and it is safer than taking a road cycling approach.“Kids learn the basic bike-handling skills, and then they can move on to other kinds of cycling if they want to, but fundamentally they've learnt to ride a bike,” Waterworth said. BMX uses obstacle tracks originally designed for off-road motocross motorcycle racing, but on sturdy pedal bicycles instead. The Marathon Sugar centre features a regulation BMX pump track which combines series of small tightly spaced roller hills and steeply banked turns.On 9 January, KAYEC launched weekly BMX activities with the 10- to 18-year-olds who attend its Wanaheda after-school programme for school and life skills support.Paulus Ndatipo, 11, who had learned to ride a bike in kindergarten but had never raced on a formal track thought it, was going to be a big challenge.“First when I saw it, I thought it was tough, but then when I went on it, it was very easy. “I would really like to go on a race in a place which is not in Windhoek, and win a prize,” Ndatipo said. The Namibian Cycling Federation will work closely with KAYEC staff to train community coaches for the centre and teach basic repair skills. The BMX track is open to the public, free of charge, on Thursday afternoons.Sports Reporter

Marathon sweetens national cycling

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-24

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Marathon sweetens national cycling

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Namibian Sun 2025-02-24

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