Lowe, Hough win Nedbank Namibia Rock and Rut XC2

Mimi Hough and Kevin Lowe produced stunning masterpiece rides to win the Nedbank Rock and Rut XC2 races at the IJG Trails in Windhoek on last Saturday.

The event, where cyclists took part in the different cycling categories, saw Hough who had initially entered as a veteran woman, upgraded to the elite category. She completed the race in one hour, two minutes, and 19 seconds (01:02:19) after six laps.

Mitchell Dorman was crowned the winner in the sub-vet women category ahead of Nicola Fester, while Sonja Obholzer triumphed in the veteran women category.

In the elite men’s category, Kevin Lowe beat Theuns van der Westhuizen and Adrian Key to win the race in 01:07:11.

Van de Westhuizen clocked 01:09:11 in second place, while Key was third at 01:13:24.

Speaking after the race, Lowe said he was happy to have won despite the low turnout.

“I enjoyed the track; it was nice and fast. The weather was a bit cold; hence, I knew a decent warm-up would do the trick. The first two laps, I could feel my feet were a bit cold, but after that, I was fine. I had a good battle in the first two laps with Marco (Thiel), but I decided to ride my race. It’s good to see the young ones coming through. Today we missed some experienced riders but the competition was good,” he said.

Lowe added that there was a bit of wind, especially at the start-to-finish stretch, while there were one or two climbs that made the race challenging, but he was happy to have managed to deal with those effectively.

Justus Beulker, the only entrant in the under-18 junior men’s race, finished in 01:06:15, while Marco Thiel won the under-16 race, ahead of Sean Lowe in second place and Christiaan Van Der Westhuizen in third.

Rock and Rut representative, Michael Hennes said: ‘The competition was good amongst the cyclists in all categories. The juniors are stepping up, and they are learning quickly from the experienced riders. We are hoping for more riders at our next event which will be held at Farm Bergquell.’

Nedbank Namibia Communications and Public Relations Manager, Selma Kaulinge said: ‘Having another successful event in the XC race series is something we should be proud off. We saw our cyclists take on not only the extreme terrain, but also the cold weather. Our investment in the cycling fraternity reflects our commitment to nurturing young talent and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle. We’re also particularly proud of supporting the next generation of cyclists and look forward to seeing them excel in their trade.’

The prize-giving ceremony for the overall winners of the Nedbank Rock and Rut Serie will be held on a date yet to be determined, with the winners set to receive cash prizes.