11 Aug 2016

 Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) will on Sunday offer mountain bike riders an ‘Olympic feel’ when they host the first ever Cross Country Olympic (XCO).

BCA secretary general, Tlamelo Dube, explained in an interview that they would be hosting their annual mountain bike championship with introduction of the new loop race that would take riders on a seven lap race with the fastest expected to take an average of 20 minutes to complete. 

A single loop would be over six kilometres.

With the absence of defending champion, Bernardo Ayuso, who is in Spain for professional races, eyes will be on the likes of Victor Makgwelo and Jabu Tabolane. 

The cat and mouse chase of Motloutse cycling team’s Tabolane and Makgwelo from Team Cycling is likely to take another twist in the absence of Ayuso who has been dominating the race for the entire three seasons.

High octane action is also expected in the under 23 category where the likes of defending champion, Thato Madimabe, James Masimo and Abeng Malete are lined up for pole position. 

They are likely to be joined by the pair of Losika Kelaotswe and Sethomo Masepe who has been showing excellent form in recent races. 

A lot is at stake in this category with Madimabe wielding experience in tough off road challenges having recently scooped the Pick n’ Pay Mokolodi challenge, undoubtedly the toughest off road to date. 

Masimo also brings an array of experience in this field having traversed the unforgiving trails of the Congo River during the last All Africa Games in Brazzaville. 

He was also part of the training camp at the World Cycling Centre in Potchefstroom, South Africa. 

BCA’s Dube admitted that the association had been struggling to lure a lucrative sponsorship for the national championships which has had an impact on the low turnout in the past. 

Meanwhile the association will tomorrow (Saturday) hold an elective congress at the national stadium to fill up positions in the executive committee. Ends