Desert Dash is back

THE Nedbank Desert Dash is back and takes place for the 13th year on Friday 8 December.

The iconic cycling ultra marathon has grown from strength to strength and has more than doubled in recent years from about 400 three years ago to more than 1 000 last year, while about 900 are expected this year.

The interest to participate in one of the world’s most unique cycling events has always been there and was this year once again underlined when the online entries for the four-man team event sold out within 21 seconds.

But the logistics prohibited expansion until the route was changed three years ago, with the support vehicles now mostly taking another route than the cyclists.

“The dust kicked up by all the support vehicles became a problem, so last year we changed the format for the two-man teams, which reduced the number of support vehicles we needed,” Leander Borg of the organising committee said.

“Now the first rider does the first half and the second, the second half, so this has allowed us to increase the number of participants,” he said.

At yesterday’s launch, Richard Meekes, chief operating officer of Nedbank Namibia said that the event had become a big contributor to the Namibian economy, with about N$20 million being injected through the 3 000-entourage of riders, support crew, family and friends who descend on Swakopmund.

He added that 39 percent of this year’s participants are from other countries, which will no doubt also have spin off effects for the tourism industry.

“One can safely assume that the Nedbank Desert Dash may be the primary reason prompting our overseas participants to travel to our country, but a vast majority of our visitors will be bound to extend their stay in Namibia and explore the unrivalled beauty of our country,” he said.

This year, riders from 16 different countries will participate in the Desert Dash, with 550 coming from Namibia and 274 from South Africa. Germany accounts for 43 riders, while there are also riders from Spain, Australia, India, Colombia, Austria and Poland.

Several sponsors once again confirmed their commitment to the event, with Hans Steinkopf of Indongo Toyota saying they would sponsor a brand new vehicle valued at more than N$100 000 as a lucky draw prize at the prize giving event in Swakopmund on Saturday, 9 December.

“All the riders can enter the lucky draw but there are two conditions – they have to have started the race and they must be present at the prize giving event,” he said.

Cymot will once again sponsor two mountain bikes, valued at about N$100 000, and Wilderness Safaris tickets for two to two of its lodges, while Air Namibia will also sponsor some of the participants’ equipment free of charge.

The prize money amounts to about N$380 000 in total, with the winning solo rider receiving N$35 000, while the various podium winners in the solo, two-man and four-man teams will also win prizes.

The defending solo champion Kenny Looser will be back and aiming to win the event for the third year in a row, but he can expect tough competition from the South African marathon champion Max Knox, who has entered the solo event for the first time.

Knox has won the two-man event for the past two years with Namibia’s Tjipe Murangi, but this year Murangi will team up with Namibian marathon champion Xavier Papo.

Meekes said the challenge and cameraderie, the pristine landscape and racing through the moon landscape and watching the sun set and rise in the saddle were some of the memorable moments that made participants return year after year.

“It’s these experiences that make participants like Oom Bill Jooste return as a solo rider, even at the age of 79, while we will also have the 74-year-old Roland Fuchs and 72-year-old Brian Roberts competing with 26 other riders who are older than 60,” he said.