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Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
THE Tour de Great Dyke cycling event kicked off in Darwendale on Wednesday with 28 cyclists taking part in the four-day race.
The first of the four-legged race saw cyclists cycling 135km from Great Dyke Investments to Chegutu via Zimplats in Selous.
This year’s edition saw the introduction of prizes, with the top three set to walk away with $1 000, $800 and $600 respectively.
Bulawayo Siyephambili Club racers Nkulumo Dube, Advocate Phiri, Andrew Chikwaka and Thulani Dube are among the cyclists competing.
Nkulumo Dube, one of the country’s top cyclists, said they want to emerge as the event’s top racers. He said they came prepared and have a strategy whereby each team member will win each of the four legs.
Other racers include the only female racer Portia Chipendere of Harare, Tinei Sikereta, Simon Naison and Davieze Nyengere.
A representative of the organisers YaFM of Zvishavane and Buy Zimbabwe, Munyaradzi Hwengwere, said this year they had managed to attract more sponsors that include Metbank, TN Bank and AgriSeeds.
“We started this race as an educational and wellness programme to raise awareness about the Great Dyke. This came after the realisation that many people were not aware of the Great Dyke and the contribution it makes to the country’s resource base. It’s a geological line stretching 500km and contains immense minerals that include platinum, gold and chrome among others,” said Hwengwere.
From Chegutu the cyclists went through Kwekwe where there had a stop-over before proceeding to Shurugwi and Zvishavane where the race ends today.
Speaking at the race launch, Deputy Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Yeukai Simbanegavi applauded the organisers of the event saying it was an unusual stance towards marketing Zimbabwe through cycling.
“Sports business will take the centre stage in harnessing linkages between sport and the corporate world. In developed countries like the United States, sports roughly brought an estimated $14,3 billion to the National Gross Domestic Production in 2013 creating 456 000 jobs with an average salary of $39 000 per job. As Zimbabwe we should emulate and strive to improve our sport economy,” said Simbanegavi
Online Reporter