Dusi seeding race a success
Victoria Lake Canoe Club’s paddlers were among the over 70 paddlers taking part in the Dusi training race.
Gauteng paddlers wasted no time kicking off their training for the New Year with the 18km Dusi training race held at Homestead Dam, Benoni, on January 9.
The race, hosted by the Ekurhuleni Kayak Club (ERK), was a training and seeding race for the world’s toughest endurance canoeing race, Dusi, scheduled for mid-February.
Richard Cele and Thomas Ngidi of Victoria Lake Canoe Club (VLC) were among the paddlers at the race.
The winning teams were Alex Roberts, from Emmarentia Dam, partnered with Phineas Zulu, from Soweto, finishing in a time of one hour and 18 minutes.
Seven seconds later Florida Lake’s team of Shaun Maphanga and Melusi Nxumalo crossed the finish line while Cele and Ngidi were split seconds behind them making it a tight finish.
Cele and Ngidi, both originate from the valley between Pietermaritzburg and Durban and are familiar with the river where they learnt to paddle – they anticipate a good finish.
The race included two 1km portage sections where paddlers practise getting out their boats quickly and smoothly to run with their boats and ensure a smooth hiccough free re-entry to the water.
This is where they likely lose time and places on the Dusi.
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