SD CYCLISTS OUT OF TOP 10 IN FIRST RACE

(In Kigali, Rwanda
courtesy of Nando’s)

KIGALI – Top cyclists Gcina Banda and Muzi Shabangu could not have a dream start in the African Road Championships here in Kigali, Rwanda.

The duo featured in  a 40km individual time trial in team Swaziland’s first event of the seven-day championship yesterday.
Muzi, 19, was the fastest Swazi but was ranked 25th overall out of 36 with a time of 01:05: 26 hours. He was placed 14th out of 17 in the Under-23 category, but he was about 12 minutes shy of the podium spot.

Gcina, 25,who is making his debut in the biggest cycling event in Africa, ranked 32nd overall with a time of 01:08:41 hours.
Winning the event was expectedly a cyclist from cycling powerhouse Eritrea. It was Mekseb Debesay, who clocked 00:53:25 hours.
As the name suggests, in an individual time trial, a cyclist races alone against time. While some of the cyclists from countries had the required special bicycles for the race, the locals used their normal road ‘bikes’.

Time trial bicycles are usually of higher gear and have disc wheels.
Muzi, who is national road champion, cycled on a 10-speed Bianchi Intensity 57cm road bicycle.

The duo had mastered some of the tactics of enduring a time trial, but attacking on the hilly course proved a challenge.
Team coach Mbusi Motsa highlighted that the stage proved too big for the cyclists, as he felt the country ‘brought a knife to a gun fight’ by not having time trial bicycles.

“The special time trial bicycles obviously gave the other competitors an advantage. It’s high time we also upgrade.
“ However, it’s no secret that we compete with heavyweights like Eritrea and Ethiopia,” he said.

Excluded in the time trial was only National Road Series champion Mduduzi Zwane, who is only here for the biggest assignment, which is the 168km circuit road race on Sunday.

All three cyclists will take to the road for the same event.
Meanwhile, after enduring a 16-hour journey, the cyclists touched down on Kigali around 3am last Wednesday. The delegation connected two flights to the final destination, with a 30-minute stop over in Bujumbura, Burundi after midnight.

On the same day, they unpacked their bicycles for a warm-up ride across the streets of the landlocked east African country. During training they were forced to look over their shoulders by motorcycles, which are littered all over the streets as they are the preferred means of transport here.

Other countries represented in the event are South Africa, Zambia, Ethiopia, Morocco, Seychelles, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Egypt, among others.

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