Namibian stars set goals for 2017
Cycling
Professional cyclist Till Drobisch wants to concentrate on his studies and will do more mountain biking and less road racing this year.
He said this right after he won the opening race of the 2017 Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power road cycle series last Sunday.
“I want to focus more on mountain biking, so I won’t be doing much racing on the road this year,” he told Nampa after the 100 kilometre race in the Dordabis area, east of Windhoek.
The race was the first leg of the Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP) road cycle series hosted by the Namibia Cycling Federation.
The 23-year-old Drobisch won ahead of Lotto Petrus and his teammate, Johannes Hamunyela who rides for the NCCS team.
Drobisch, who races for Team 0711/Cycling in Germany, won the national 2016 individual time trial and the Nedbank Cycle Challenge last year.
Another rider, Michelle Vorster, 38, told Nampa she will participate in local and international races this year.
Vorster, a Namibian cross-country mountain biker, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but did not finish her mountain bike race due to mechanical problems.
Her biggest goal this year is to compete in the ABSA Cape Epic, an annual mountain bike race held in South Africa’s Western Cape, during March. She will team up with 29-year-old South African, Carmen Buchacher.
“I want to finish that gruelling race which is considered the Dakar of cycling,” she said, adding that she wants to challenge herself fully this year, because the best mountain bike riders in Africa are expected to compete at the Epic.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Petrus, who has won the national championship three times, said his aim is to win his fourth national cycling title and then retire within two years.
“The cycling business is becoming tough every year with the new kids on the block. My personal dream is to retire in the next two years, because I am getting mentally tired,” said Petrus. - Nampa
He said this right after he won the opening race of the 2017 Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power road cycle series last Sunday.
“I want to focus more on mountain biking, so I won’t be doing much racing on the road this year,” he told Nampa after the 100 kilometre race in the Dordabis area, east of Windhoek.
The race was the first leg of the Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP) road cycle series hosted by the Namibia Cycling Federation.
The 23-year-old Drobisch won ahead of Lotto Petrus and his teammate, Johannes Hamunyela who rides for the NCCS team.
Drobisch, who races for Team 0711/Cycling in Germany, won the national 2016 individual time trial and the Nedbank Cycle Challenge last year.
Another rider, Michelle Vorster, 38, told Nampa she will participate in local and international races this year.
Vorster, a Namibian cross-country mountain biker, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but did not finish her mountain bike race due to mechanical problems.
Her biggest goal this year is to compete in the ABSA Cape Epic, an annual mountain bike race held in South Africa’s Western Cape, during March. She will team up with 29-year-old South African, Carmen Buchacher.
“I want to finish that gruelling race which is considered the Dakar of cycling,” she said, adding that she wants to challenge herself fully this year, because the best mountain bike riders in Africa are expected to compete at the Epic.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Petrus, who has won the national championship three times, said his aim is to win his fourth national cycling title and then retire within two years.
“The cycling business is becoming tough every year with the new kids on the block. My personal dream is to retire in the next two years, because I am getting mentally tired,” said Petrus. - Nampa
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