Local cycle stars eye virtual aQuellé Tour Durban

THREE rising stars from the KZN Cycling Development programme will form part of the global community who will ride in the Virtual aQuellé Tour Durban at the end of July.

Thabiso Zindela (16) and Unathi Nxumalo (18) from the Mpumalanga township in Hammarsdale will join Lindokhuhle Ngcobo (17), from the Dusi Valley, on the specialised static bikes at the Absolute Motion training studio in Hilton for the race.

They will work with KZN Cycling’s high performance director, Johann Wykerd.

The teenagers have risen sharply through the ranks of the local development programme, to the point that they are winning medals at a national championship level and the online races will form an important part of the evolution of their careers.

“These rides are part of their preparation for their entry in the E-Racing National Championship for the junior men and women categories on Saturday, 8 August,” explained KZN Cycling Development’s manager, Alec Lenferna.

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Thabiso has taken the local track racing scene by storm as he won two gold medals at the national track cycling championships in 2018 and broke a national record after he swept the boards with seven gold medals at the youth track cycling champs that year. He is the current U17 provincial time trial and road racing champion.

Unathi, who started his career as a promising mountain biker, has also made a large impact on the track racing scene as he won gold and silver medals at the recent national championships. He then won the junior category at the Drak Extravaganza Road Race.

Lindokhuhle looks set to follow a similar career path and serves as a trailblazer for the youth who are passionate about cycling in the Dusi Valley region.

“The global Covid-19 response has closed the doors to the high level regional and national competition that these young riders were really looking forward to, but as we have seen worldwide, online platforms like Zwift have taken over,” said Alec.

KZN Cycling has covered the cost for these young riders to compete in the Zwift races added to the Virtual aQuellé Tour Durban. Johann Wykerd, the HP director, will ensure the trio have the correct equipment to ride in the races.

Due to the Covid-19 lockdown rules, the 2020 aQuellé Tour Durban was cancelled but the virtual alternatives will be raced on 25 and 26 July. The event has also stuck to its commitment to raise money for The Domino Foundation.

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