African Cycling Championship-No medal for local riders |11 November 2009

In the championship’s first race – the 40.40km team time trial over four laps of 10.1km each – in Windhoek, Namibia, the country’s team of Francis Louis, Richard Felix and Andy Rose clocked 1 hour 00 minute 12 seconds (1h0012) to finish ninth – 10 minutes 08 seconds (10:08) slower than team South Africa’s winning time of 50:04.

Namibia finished second in 52:57 and Libya completed the medals podium, finishing third in 53:01.
In the 30.40km individual time trial won by South African Jay Thomson in 38:28, Felix was ranked 22nd in 46:15 and Rose finished 24th in 46:40.

Gold medal winner Thompson registered an average speed of 47.41km/h. His compatriot Reinardt Janse van Rensburg came second in 38:42 and Namibian Erik Hoffmann won the bronze medal in a time of 39:14.

Louis took the start of the 147.4km road race, finishing 10th in a peloton of 12 riders who all clocked 4h09:55 for 23rd place overall.

His time was 17:47 slower than that of South African winner Ian McCleod, who stopped the clock at 3h52.08.
Thompson clocked the same time to finish second and Namibian Hoffmann again claimed the bronze medal in 3h53:47.
Only 32 cyclists of the 64 starters completed the 11-lap race.

There were also races for female and male under-23 cyclists from 17 countries.
South Africa finished with 12 medals – six gold, five silver and a bronze. Host Namibia won the only other gold medal, along with two silver and two bronze.

Rwanda got two silver, while Libya and Mauritius grabbed one each.
Mauritius’ medal came courtesy of Aurelie Halbwachs in the 20.4km individual time trial in a time of 30:55.

G. G.