Chronicle Editor
Simba Jemwa, Sports Correspondent
ACCORDING to some observers, Lizwilenkosi Sibanda is arguably the best all round cyclist, for his age, Zimbabwe has ever produced.
The 20-year-old from Iminyela has been one of the best cyclists in road racing for his age group over the past three years in Zimbabwe.
Sibanda is the Zimbabwe National Under-23 Road Cycling Championships Road race and time trial champion.
The Bulawayo-born lad has continued to improve his racing but says the little things that he’s changed in his mindset have the biggest difference in his racing.
The Unimills-Hokoyo rider has been touted as the next big thing in road racing, but is now also actively pursuing track racing.
In May, he was in South Africa for a training camp focusing on track racing and will now be looking to participate in track racing competitions as well. But getting there has not been easy going for him.
“I have been racing for three years now, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing, imagine being a boy from Iminyela and then expect to ride an expensive bike and race.
Getting into road racing is not easy,” said Sibanda.
“I remember I was working at a shoe shop (Captain Jacobs), and when I knocked off there, I would go to Mike’s which is a bike shop in the city.
Mike is from the same neighbourhood as me, so he would give me any of his bikes to ride home and back to town the next day.
“Spending that much time there is how I met the senior guys, Andrew Chikwaka, Advocate Phiri, Mthoko Dube and Nkulumo Dube and began to develop an interest in riding.
I wanted my own bike so eventually I got one and I started riding with them on weekends.
That started my love affair with cycling,” Sibanda says.
“Not long after that I started my first race in Gweru, the 100-miler.
It was my first race and a good experience in a hard way – it was hard but I managed to go all the way because my only goal was to finish and I finished in five hours exactly.
Racing is about setting goals,” recalls Sibanda.
Sibanda acknowledged that it will be difficult to get other youngsters in Iminyela to take up riding: “It’s not easy because it’s a new thing you’ll be introducing to the neighbourhood.
A few will be supportive of the sport but it has been good for me especially because people love asking about things they don’t know about and some have developed an interest like I did when I started to cycle.
“If we look at how much drugs and substances are being abused by youths, this helped steer me away from those things.
I’m from the townships and these are places where youngsters are mostly influenced by the use of drugs.
Cycling took my mind off all of that and kept me busy whenever I was free, maybe from work and health wise keeps me fit too.”
The former Magwegwe High School student added: “Now I’m not working and cycling fulltime.
I may grow old and probably stop cycling for money but I won’t stop cycling as long as I can move.
I’m sure now almost every kid who sees me wants to race like me.”
Unimills-Hokoyo team principal, Davis Muhambi is happy with the development of his ride and has been sending him to training camps run by the International Cycling Union (UCI).
He attended the World Cycling Centre (WCC) Africa Road Championships Training Camp in Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa before going back for a track racing training camp in May.
Muhambi said Gerald’s continued invitations to UCI training camps and the club’s generally unrivalled dominance on the local scene is a sure sign that his company’s efforts to empower young cyclists is beginning to pay off. — @RealSimbaJemwa
Online Reporter