HARARE - Zimbabwe's top mountain bikers held their own during the Africa Continental Championships held in Lesotho at the Afriski Resort.
The week of racing took place from March 29 to April 3, with the country’s mountain bikers shrugging off stiff competition to leave a mark at the Confederation of African Cycling and Federation of Cycling Lesotho event.
In the first day’s racing, the team fought a tactical race in the Team Relay event and won a bronze medal in spite of difficult odds.
In the Under-19 Junior men category, Jake Greenway scooped 15th place in a field of 23 strong contenders.
In the Under-23 women’s elite, rider Skye Davidson crashed three times but still fought strong to finish in fifth place, while compatriot Stacey Hyslop rode into a competitive sixth place.
Under-23 rider Kombo Bere endured a hugely competitive race but did well to finish ninth.
“The results are hugely encouraging for Zimbabwe mountain biking as the technical XCO track was set at 3 200m altitude which added to the difficulty of the events with oxygen in high demand and short supply,” said coach Linda Davidson.
“Davidson, Hyslop and Bere have just moved up from the junior category and to place in the top 10 of Africa’s best in their first 6 months is encouraging indeed and shows the long term development strategy employed by Cycling Zimbabwe is starting to bear fruit,” she added.