15 Sep 2015

The duo of Bernardo Ayuso and Anouk van der Geest recently defied the early morning harsh weather to win the 100km category of the annual Jwaneng mine General Manager Charity Cycle Race.

Bernardo, who finished in 2:37:33, faced tight competition from Lulu Telekelo and Sethomo Masepe who recorded a time of 2:38:02 and 2:38:05 respectively. In the female category, Bakang Ebudilwe escaped with a whisker to snatch the second position with a time record of 3:18:48 before Albertinah Milton who finished only eight seconds later.

The winners walked away with P5, 000 and an ipad each, while those in position two and three got themselves P3, 000 and Blackberry Q10 cellphones as well as P2, 000 and Blackberry Q5 cellphones respectively.

In an interview, the Gabane-based Bernardo said the race was generally great despite the strong wind that worked against them. He said that he was impressed by his performance in the face of competition from the country’s best cyclists.

He noted that his year long stint in Spain has helped him prepare for the race.

“I just arrived this morning from Spain where I participated in 66 races and won six. Even though I did not have enough time to rest before today’s race, I managed to win because I have been training. The level of cycling here is not too high as compared to that in Spain,” he said.

He said his intention is to continue training and working hard at his Bernardo Ayuso Development team where he’s nurturing young cyclists. He said this year, his academy sent three cyclists to participate in the GM’s cycle race but most did not do well because of lack of training due to school commitments.

For Anouk, recording such a good time in a fierce competition is motivation for her to aim higher and take part in other races outside the country. “The main challenge today was facing competition from international riders who are off season. I managed to record a good time because I am good at flat races,” she said.

The Tsela Riders cyclist said she was planning to train more on speed to improve her time. She has already started racing in South Africa for more intense competition. Her long term goal is to take part in international races in the future.

Jwaneng Mine general manager  Albert Milton applauded the participants and sponsors for making the race a success since its inception. He said the charitable event has grown throughout the years mainly due to the support it continues to enjoy from various sectors.

He said the race has managed to raise more than P1 million between 2006 and 2015. Proceeds of the event are pegged at P375, 000 for the year 2015.

He noted that P100, 000 will go towards the refurbishment of the Mpule Kwelagobe Children’s Centre while the rest will be used to uplift communities in surrounding villages such as Sese, Maboane, Lefoko and Tsonyane through various projects. The race also included categories such as the 50 km junior category, which was won by Khumo Ramontshonyane and Promise Ntshese. 

Patrick Tshomane and Moalosi Mesetele finished first in the 50 km open for males and females respectively. Botswana Railways won the corporate challenge 50km, followed by MVA Fund and Debswana. Ends