Sponsors snub Tsela Riders race
Calistus Kolantsho | Wednesday October 28, 2015 14:15
Tsela Riders chairperson, Game Mompe told Mmegi Sport yesterday that despite failing to secure sponsorship, the race will proceed as planned.
“We tried to secure sponsorship, but we failed. However, despite that, the race will go ahead. Even without a sponsor, we have to continue with the race,” she said.
Mompe said the route will take cyclists from Otse to Kanye and back. The race is divided into three categories; 16-18 years, 19-49 years, and 50 years and above.
The 60km and 120km races are for both juniors and open sections. Masters will participate in the 120km only. Mompe said they are expecting between 150 and 200 cyclists on the day. “Our plan at the beginning of the year was to have three races and we managed to achieve that. We held the three-stage races and the Mascom race challenge, which was held recently. We saw growth in terms of participants especially in the three-stage race and we had many cyclists from outside the country,” she said.
Mompe said the weekend race is also important for cyclists who are interested in participating in the 19th edition of Momentum 947 Cycle Challenge that will be held in South Africa in November. She said cyclists could use the race to prepare for the competition and also to get better times ahead of the competition. She said registration for the race is open and it is done at the Bike Shop and Cycle Base. The cyclists are expected to pay P200 and P150 registration fees for 120km and 60km respectively.
Mompe said some of the best cyclists in the country are expected to battle it out on the day. A tough battle is expected between Bernado Ayuso, Boipuso Masepe, Bright Chipongo and Lulu Telekelo.
In the women’s section, Anouk Van der Geest is also expected to continue with her good run after winning the Mascom Challenge and the Botswana National Road Race that was held in Sefophe recently.