29 Apr 2019

Bakang Ebudilwe of Tsela Riders has won the fifth First Capital Bank 120km female elite cycle challenge held in Gaborone on April 28. 

Ebudilwe, who recently competed at the 11^th Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) Mountain Bike (MTB) Continental Championships in Namibia, finished the race in 3:28:52.7. 

Second position was won by Nonofo Maswabi of Team Jwaneng Cycling in 3:54:52.9 while Bonno Motlhetlhi of Team Jonmol came third in 4:17:45.2. 

Throughout the race, Ebudilwe managed to stick with the pack until the turn off point where she rode alone to the end. 

Strong chilly winds made cycling a bit uncomfortable on the day, but Ebudilwe said she was mentally and practically prepared as wind was one of the challenges in cycling sport.

Next for Ebudilwe will be the All Africa Games, and she said she would be competing in other races before the games as part of her training. 

The men elite 120km race was won by Advocate Phiri of Team Morupule in 3:10:59.9 whilst Abeng Malete of Jwaneng Cycling clinched second position in 3:11:00.2. 

Describing the race, Phiri said in addition to the strong wind challenge, teams were becoming stronger. 

“Competing against other teams is getting difficult. Although I won the challenge, I am not impressed with my time,” he said. 

For his part, Malete, who was consistent from start, said the only challenge was the headwind towards the turning off point. 

However, that did not deter him as he attempted to attack and break away from others. 

“Towards the finish line, the guys were going at high speed and I could not keep up, but I kept abreast,” explained Abeng. 

Meanwhile, Botswana Cycling Association (BCA) president, Mmetla Masire described the race as a success, adding that the athletes were competitive. 

He said they observed many attacks from athletes as they tried break aways throughout the race. He also added that the race was different from other flat races. 

Masire noted that since the introduction of cycling in 2014 during the Gaborone Youth Games, there had been growth amongst cyclists. 

He added that the participation of international professional cyclists in local races was good for athletes, saying the difference between the two groups was closing. 

Masire also said the races helped them to prepare for up-coming international and regional competitions, and that they were currently preparing for the All Africa Games. ENDS