Alex and Delsia triumph in 100km Nedbank Cycle Challenge

Alex Miller and Delsia Janse van Vuuren emerged victorious in the 100km races at the Nedbank Cycle Challenge held with starts and finishes at the University of Namibia (Unam) Sports Field on Sunday.

Overcast conditions greeted riders as they tackled one of Namibia’s premier road cycling events.

Men’s race

Miller crossed the line in 2 hours 23 minutes 59.5 seconds, narrowly ahead of Martin Freyer (2:24:37.7), with the up-and-coming juniors Christiaan van der Westhuizen (2:25:57.1) and Nathan Chase (2:26:02.7) finishing third and fourth, respectively.

Reflecting on his victory, Miller said: “Yeah, it was a good day out there. Luckily, I managed to come away with the win. The weather was fairly nice, though wet and cloudy, and it was good to have Kupferberg at the end. Sometimes riding on the bypass can be a bit boring, so I hope to see more technical courses in the future.”

Miller credited his strategy for the win: “I wanted to make it hard from the beginning. Martin and Nathan were strong as well. After reaching the top of Finkenstein, I managed to get away towards the end and hold it to the finish.

"Winning this race is a privilege, it’s one of the bigger road races in Namibia.”

Miller now looks ahead to upcoming competitions: “Next is the Cape Town Cycle Tour in March, then back to Europe for races there.”

Women’s race

In the women’s 100km race, Delsia Janse van Vuuren triumphed in 3 hours, 2 minutes, 21.3 seconds, just ahead of junior rider Rosemarie Thiel (3:02:21.8) and veteran Belinda van Rhyn (3:02:23.0).

Janse van Vuuren described her win as challenging yet rewarding: “With Anri (Greeff, the 2025 champion) not here, I felt like I had a target on my back. The racing was quite negative at the start, as no one really wanted to work, but Rosemarie and I managed to get away. Even with a puncture before the Dordabis turnaround, and fears that my race was gone as it kept deflating, I managed to take the sprint. It was super fun in the end.”

She praised the organisers: “Thank you to Nedbank for allowing us to have another event this year. The organisers did a great job.”

Looking ahead, she plans to compete internationally. “I’m heading to Cape Town for the first SA Cup (mountain bike series event) and a cycle tour with my team, Team Customize.”

Leading results, 100km open women

1 Delsia Janse van Vuuren (open) 3 hr 02 min 21.3 sec

2 Rosemarie Thiel (junior) 3:02:21.8 3

Belinda van Rhyn (veteran/subveteran) 3:02:23.0

4 Louise Breed (veteran/subveteran) 3:05:17.5

5 Monique du Plessis (open) 3:05:53.5

100km open men

1 Alex Miller (open) 2 hr 23 min 59.5 sec

2 Martin Freyer (open) 2:24:37.7

3 Christiaan van der Westhuizen (junior) 2:25:57.1

4 Nathan Chase (junior) 2:26:02.7

5 Jaques Hanekom (open) 2:29:19.8

Organisers credited

Nedbank Namibia’s chief operations officer JG van Graan expressed satisfaction with this year’s event, acknowledging that last year’s edition had been challenging.

He said the collaboration with Lema Events had revitalised the race, ensuring a safer and more enjoyable experience for both riders and spectators.

Van Graan also thanked the co-sponsors, including Studio Ventoux, the Namibian Cycling Federation and SuperSparta, noting the children’s goodie bags had been particularly appreciated.

He encouraged participants to continue riding through the winter months and highlighted upcoming changes for the Nedbank Desert Dash, signalling an exciting season ahead for Namibian cycling.