Tour de Windhoek prep underway

Aili Iilonga

THE third edition of the much anticipated Tour de Windhoek has  gained momentum, with international cyclists looking to take part in the event which is dubbed the mini version of the Tour de France.

The event, sponsored by Pupkewitz, will take place from 20 to 22 September, with registration officially open as from today onwards. 

During the launch held today in Windhoek, race organiser Leander Borg said that this year’s edition would definitely stand out to be the biggest, with teams from northern Africa expected to take part in the main event.

Tour de Windhoek that will kick off on Sunday, 22 September.

Borg said that there would be two events, namely the Tour de Windhoek and Tour de Windhoek light. 

“This is the third year in a row now and this time around, we will make sure we have a proper tour with great support coming from South Africa, which is looking to send a couple of teams that will take part,” he said.

He also added that the tour will only take a limited15 teams, while the lighter version will have the women competing in it, as well as individual cyclist.

He, however, added that the women’s tour would not be as vigorous as the men’s race.

“Ladies will do 3 to 4 laps, while the men will go further than that. This is because we want to concentrate on the team’s time travel which will count for classification record and not necessarily the ranking,” he noted.

Total prize money amounts to N$136 000 and will be divided between the two tours, with the winner for the Tour de Windhoek light  walking away with N$12 000, while the winning team walks away N$8 000. 

Registration has open, with the fee for individual racers set at N$600 and N$4000 for teams.