Drikus back to winning ways; Greeff claims first win of the season

Drikus Coetzee and Anri Greeff delivered classy performances last Sunday to claim victory in the elite men’s and women’s Nedbank Windhoek Power Pedal (WPP) race series 3 at Döbra Loops north of Windhoek. In the men’s race over 99 km in seven laps, Coetzee (Hollard Elite) claimed first place after clocking two hours 19 minutes 55 seconds, with Roger Surén (MBM Men) narrowly winning the sprint for second against Marco Thiel (Cymot Racing Men) with both awarded a time of 2:21:35.One second later followed Brandon Plaatjes (MBM Men) and Nicolaas Swart (Hollard Ambassadors) in fourth and fifth place.In the women’s race (80 km in five laps), Greeff of Hollard Ladies crossed the line in 1:52:50, followed by second-placed Michelle Döman (Food Lovers Market) narrowly ahead of the Cymot pair of Rosemarie Thiel (third) and Olivia Shililifa who all recorded the same time (1:56:17). In the same sprint finish, within one second later, followed the fifth to ninth-placed finishers Hester Prins (Hollard Ladies), Monique Schmid (MBM Ladies), Louise Breed (Hollard Ladies), Monique du Plessis and Jaen-Marie Mostert (both Cymot Ladies).Team standingsThe result of event 3 in the series means Team MBM Men and Hollard Elite are joint log leaders with 63 points, followed by Cymot Men’s Racing in third with 60. Fourth is Hollard Ambassadors (50).In the women's team competition, Hollard Ladies leads the log with 40 points, followed by the Food Lovers Market Ladies Team (31), third-placed Cymot Ladies Racing (26) and Mannie’s Bike Mecca Ladies (23).Up next: Atlas Mountain RaceA relieved Coetzee was delighted with his performance, after he had suffered a tyre puncture during the WPP 2 Copper Kettle race the previous weekend.“The guys started at an easy pace. On the second lap, the attacks began with a few guys breaking out. I took it easy at the back, but my teammates made sure I was in the race every time an attack happened. When the moment came in the third lap, I took over the lead,” the race winner said.Coetzee confirmed he will be leaving soon for Morocco for his second attempt at winning the Atlas Mountain Race, a gruelling 1 300 kilometres ultra-event on the mountain bike, with 29 000 metres of climbing. The Namibian was an early race leader during his Atlas debut last year and was placed second when he was forced to retire due to dehydration with less than 100 km left.The 2025 Atlas Mountain Race – an unsupported, single-stage mountain bike race from Marrakesh to Essaouira – starts on 7 February.“This race is my main challenge of the year, and if I can pull that off, then my biggest goal for the year will have been met. “Later in September, I will go to Spain for the Badlands Ultra Endurance, for another 850 km ultra challenge,” he said.Team tacticsAfter the women’s race, Greeff said it was a good race for her and her teammates, who worked well together to help her achieve victory.“Our team tactics worked well, to keep the other teams at bay and allow me to ride to victory. I managed to get a break during the second lap, and the team helped me to keep it. “It was quite a strong field, so my team worked well together and we kept the other teams at bay,” she said.Greeff said her focus now turns to the national road cycling championship, starting with the individual time trail on Friday 7 February and the prestigious road race two days later. She is also looking forward to a few races in South Africa and other Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) sanctioned races during the year. Behind the scenesWindhoek Pedal Power club representative and race organiser Stefanus Feris paid tribute to the cyclists for delivering a competitive race.“We are pleased with the outcome of the race today. Everything went according to plan. We will continue to deliver competitive races with the support of our sponsors, Nedbank Namibia,” he said.Nedbank Namibia communication and public relations manager, Selma Kaulinge, praised the organisers for delivering a well-organised and impactful initiative.“On behalf of Nedbank Namibia, I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to WPP on successfully hosting their third cycling event of the year. This achievement is a testament to your dedication and passion for the sport, and we are proud to be associated with WPP,” she said.&bull; The next race in the Nedbank WPP series will be in April on the Matchless Mine route.

Drikus back to winning ways; Greeff claims first win of the season

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-30

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Drikus back to winning ways; Greeff claims first win of the season

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-30

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