Namibia well represented in Ride Joburg

Road cycling
Andrew Poolman
  • 1 Day Ago 27 October 2025
Vera Looser of Namibia finished in fourth position in the annual Ride Joburg 98 kilometre women’s race in Johannesburg on Sunday morning.

The multiple Namibian champion finished behind the winner Kim Le Court of Mauritius (a Tour de France Femmes stage winner) and the South African pair of Lucy Young (second) and Magda Nieuwoudt.

Looser’s compatriot Anri Greeff (13th) was also pretty close to the elite women front riders.

Le Court played the patience game, allowing early attacks to go before using the climbs in the second half of the course to exert her dominance over the elite women’s field.

From a select group of ten riders, the Mauritian attacked on Jan Smuts Avenue and passed the lone breakaway rider, Magda Nieuwoudt, to seize the lead with 15 km remaining. Once in the front, Le Court never looked back and took a commanding victory ahead of Young and Nieuwoudt.

• Namibia was also well represented by Mike Baartman, who achieved an outstanding second position in the under-17 boys’ 98 km race.

His team mate Theodor Janse van Vuuren also had a great race to finish 13th, with Dawie Greeff 21st.

Marco Thiel (17) also competed strongly to finish fifth in the Racing juniors/junior men over the same distance.

Unfortunately his twin sister Rosemarie Thiel was reportedly involved in a rather bad crash in which she broke her arm.

Nick du Plessis finished 23rd in the category men 55-59 years, with Michiel Greeff in position 43 for men 45-49 years (both in the CSA racing categories).

• South African mountain biking talent Jaedon Terlouw won the elite men’s 98 km race ahead of two former Ride Joburg winners.

Defending champion Ryan Gibbons finished second and two-time winner Marc Pritzen, born in Namibia, came third.

Both the men’s and women’s winners ride away R200 000 richer, claiming the biggest single-day prize money in South African cycling.