On a blisteringly hot day in Namibia, elite cross-country cyclists took to a thrilling course. The fight for a podium finish began at the start line and intensified from there, with Luke predictably right in the thick of things.
Despite the 40-degree heat, the Namibia Cup was a great race for spectators and riders alike. The course itself boasted two hard climbs and was running fast and smooth, with a good rhythm section for the riders to enjoy on the last descent with plenty of whips going on.
As expected in the Elite Men’s Category, Namibian Alex Miller blasted into the lead and gradually increased his gap over the group to a solid 90 seconds. On lap number five, Phil Buys put the hammer down, leaving Johan van Zyl on his own in 3rd. This left Namibian Hugo Hahn sitting in 4th. A group of Daniel Van De Walt, Johan De Villiers, and Luke were left to race for the final podium position. Daniel and Luke took on the lion’s share of the work, with Johan trying to make a break at the start of the final lap. Just before the bottom of the final climb, Luke and Daniel closed the gap to Johan when Luke put in a fierce attack on the climb. Opting not to leave it to the sprint was the smart choice and Luke extended his lead on the descent, finishing 5th overall and 3rd u/23 behind Johan van Zyl and Hugo Hahn. A good result for a tough race and good points towards Luke’s UCI ranking.
The next race is the SA XCO Cup series event 2 which will take place at Happy Valley Trails in Bloemfontein.