Vusumuzi Dube
Simba Jemwa, Sports Correspondent
55 riders are expected to saddle in for the annual Volta A Bulawayo Road Race marks its return after a 22-month hiatus due to Covid-19 lockdowns and celebrates 25 years of competition this year.
The three-day cycling extravaganza starts this Friday and ends on Sunday.
Organised by one of the city’s oldest cycling clubs, Flying Eagles Cycling Club, the Volta A Bulawayo has become of the country’s premier cycling events and among the most grueling.
This year the Volta will be competed over four stages: the first a time trial at Nust on Friday followed by the Plumtree Road race on Saturday morning before a Crit Race at Nust in the afternoon and on Sunday the riders will participate in another road along Gwanda Road.
The Plumtree Road race will start at B&S Trucks along Plumtree Road with the Elite riders taking on 165km, Masters and Veterans 70km while the juniors, ladies and social riders will race 35km. The Gwanda Road Race will start at Valley bar with Elite riders cycling 80km, masters and veterans 60km and the juniors, ladies and social riders taking on 40km.
The last Volta was held in 2019 and was won by UniMills-Hokoyo’s Advocate Phiri who comes into this event as the firm favourite having been dominant in Harare two weeks ago at the National Road Championships.
The event’s public relations officer, Anton Bana said they were expecting 55 riders to take part in the race. He said two Harare clubs, Dark Force and Bambos have confirmed their participation while Flying Eagles and Unimills-Hokoyo are Bulawayo’s flag bearers.
Bana also said he expects this to be one of the best organised a they are celebrating 25 years of competition.
“We hope this will be among the best Volta’s we have ever organized and we expect competition to be high,” Bana said.
Online Reporter