Namibia’s 2022 Commonwealth Games representatives Alex Miller and Anri Kruger were on Sunday crowned winners of the last race of the 2023 Nedbank Windhoek Pedal Power (WPP) Series held in the Auas Mountains.
Miller, who won a bronze medal for team Namibia at last year’s Commonwealth Games in the mountain bike category, successfully overcame his challenger Drikus Coetzee in the elite men’s category during the sprint to the finish line.
Coetzee rode hand in hand with Miller throughout the race and saw his chain unhooked during the sprint to the finish line after 115 kilometres of racing. Miller and Coetzee once again showed that they were in a class of their own as they created a more than 10-minute gap between themselves and the chasing peloton.
Meanwhile, the elite women’s category saw Kruger overcoming her counterpart Mellisa Heinz to win the last race of the series.
In an interview with Nampa after the race, Miller said he enjoyed the race as Coetzee and himself worked well together.
“When we were racing from the Daan Viljoen Road, we decided to increase the tempo which saw other riders falling behind. This was a good mini-training which I enjoyed today and I am looking forward to other competitions internationally this year,” he said.
Coetzee told this agency he is busy preparing for one of the toughest races on earth, The Munga, saying the Nedbank WPP race was good preparation.
“Today we had a great race, and the route was enjoyable as Alex (Miller) and I kept on changing the roles of who attacks throughout the race. This worked for us as we created a good gap between ourselves and the chasing pack, but unfortunately, my chain fell off during the spring,” he said.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency