Unimills-Hokoyo to send five riders to nationals

Simba Jemwa, Sunday Life Reporter

TOP cycling club, Unimills-Hokoyo will be sending a team compliment of five to take part in the Cycling Zimbabwe Road Nationals which will be held in Harare from 11 -13 November.

Charles Nesta, Lizwe Sibanda, Andrew Chikwaka, Nkulumo Dube and Mthokozisi Mthoko Sibanda will load up their bicycles and head to Harare for the two-day competition.

Nesta will be competing at the nationals for the first time and will race in the 15km Under/15 time-trial and 30km road race category while Lizwe Sibanda will compete in the Under/23 160km road race and the 40km time trial.

Dube, Chikwaka and Sibanda will take on the country’s elite best in the 40km time trial and the 160km road race. The time trials will be on 11 November and are set to begin at the 1km peg on Shamva Road at 3.00pm while the road race will begin at the same place at 6.30 the following morning. 

According to the rules of the event, all Elite male and female riders are required to hold a UCI National/International License. Unimills-Hokoyo principal, Davis Muhambi, who is also the Cycling Zimbabwe president, said his team was excited at the upcoming event with all five riders working hard to be at peak condition for the competition. He said they were especially excited with Nesta’s debut participation at the nationals.

“The team is very prepared and ready for this year’s competition. The coach, Chris Kazingizi has been working hard with the whole team and we are confident that we will retain the title we won last year. We are also particularly happy that our top junior, Charles Nesta will be taking part in his debut national event and we are confident that he will do well,” said Muhambi.

The chosen course for the nationals is a rolling and technical course that will test the skills of the contenders to the limits. The Elite trio of Chikwaka, Dube and Sibanda comes in as favourites to sweep the podium in all three sections of the nationals.

Last year at the same event, in a thrilling dénouement Chikwaka won the men’s elite time-trial, beating his teammates, Dube by 19 seconds and former teammate, Advocate Phiri by 39 seconds in the process breaking locals’ hearts as their hopes for a victory in their home championships faded into fifth place with Amos Chakaza (Tswaira) finishing more than two minutes behind the winner at the finish.

Chikwaka finished in a time of 35 minutes and 50 seconds while Dube clocked 36 minutes 12 seconds and the bronze medalist Phiri crossed the line in 36 minutes 29 seconds. Another Unimills-Hokoyo riders, Thulani Dube came fourth in a time of 38 minutes 1 second and their clubmate, Mthokozisi Sibanda finished in 38 minutes 21 seconds for sixth place.

Unimills-Hokoyo also took gold in the Under-23 category with young Lizwe Sibanda finishing in 38 minutes 50 seconds winning his category and finishing ninth overall. — @RealSimbaJemwa