Kisumu, Thursday:
Forget expensive energy gels and high-tech sports drinks - Team South Africa just introduced the cycling world to the ultimate performance enhancer: a solid plate of Kenyan ugali!
In a hilarious post-race revelation at the CAC African Road Cycling Championships in Kisumu, South Africa’s Magda Nieuwoudt confessed that the secret weapon behind their blistering 40.8km Mixed Relay gold was Kenya’s beloved, carbohydrate-heavy staple.
“The secret of our strong race was the white ugali,” Nieuwoudt laughed, abandoning traditional cyclist diets for the local delicacy. “It's more filling, porridge-like, and it's good!”
The heavy dose of local fuel clearly worked miracles on Kisumu's notoriously chaotic, speed-bump-loaded course. Team South Africa’s powerhouse squad - Gustav Basson, Joshua Dike, Ryno Schutte, Lucy Young, Lisa Bone, and Nieuwoudt - absolutely flew through the technical corners, stopping the clock at a golden 56:04.38.
Team South Africa take selfies after winning the Mixed Relay race at the CAC Road Cycling African Championships in Kisumu on Thursday. Photo - CAC Media
They completely dethroned the defending champions from Mauritius, who were left settling for silver (56:17.27) while likely wondering what kind of magic potion the South Africans had eaten for breakfast.
It wasn't just about the food, though; it was a tactical masterclass in teamwork.
Lucy Young explained that the South African boys laid down a ferocious opening effort, essentially turning themselves into human rockets before handing over the momentum to the women.
“The boys started us off... they had the fastest time out of all the countries, and then the girls picked it up from there. We were so amazing!” Young said, celebrating South Africa's first team time trial appearance in three years.
Despite their commanding performance, Young admitted that the course presented its fair share of challenges. “The course is very technical, I won’t say it’s a normal ITT course but once you learn the corners, it good.”
Meanwhile, the rest of the podium had to fight through pure drama. Rwanda's Eric Muhoza revealed his team had to dig into the absolute depths of their souls to secure bronze (56:30.13) after a teammate fell ill on lap one, forcing them to finish the brutal, corner-heavy course with a reduced squad.
“The race was tough. We lost our team mate in the first lap so we had to do with just two of us. The cyclist was not feeling well,” he said.
Muhoza also pointed to the demanding nature of the course, explaining that the numerous corners, road bumps and repeated bursts of acceleration made it difficult for riders to maintain their rhythm throughout the race.
“The course was tough, a lot of corners and you have to break and then accelerate hard after each corner. There are also lots of bumps.”
And while Team Kenya missed out on a home-ground podium to finish fifth, Monica Jelimo remained perfectly upbeat, praising the team's seamless flow through Kisumu's endless turns.
Team Rwanda pose after taking the Mixed Relay bronze medal at the CAC Road Cycling African Championships in Kisumu on Thursday. Photo - CAC Media
Rwanda entered this year’s competition as silver medallists from last year and were determined to improve on that performance by challenging for gold.
Although they fell short of their ultimate ambition, Muhoza said the team took pride in securing another podium finish in a demanding contest.
“One side we are not happy because we were looking for gold but we are happy for the podium.”
Elsewhere, despite Team Kenya missing out on the podium, Monica Jelimo was upbeat about the team’s performance, insisting that the riders had given their best and worked well together throughout the race.
Jelimo said the team’s co-ordination was encouraging, while the course, despite its numerous corners, allowed them to maintain a relatively smooth rhythm.
“The race was nice, we had nice coordination as a team and we did our very best,” Jelimo said.
“The course was fair, too much corners but it was flowing for us.”
Still, the day undeniably belonged to South Africa, who rode a glorious wave of pure teamwork, raw speed, and the undeniable, gold-medal-yielding power of Kenyan ugali! (CAC Media)
Zimbabwe (left) and Kenya teams line up for the start of the Mixed Relay race at the CAC Road Cycling African Championships in Kisumu on Thursday. Photo - CAC Media
Leading Mixed Relay Results:
1. South Africa (Gustav Basson, Joshua Dike, Ryno Schutte, Lucy Young, Lisa Bone, Magda Nieuwoudt) - 56:04.380;
2. Mauritius (Alexandre Mayer, Aurelin De Comarmond, Daniel Yon Hin, Aurelie Halbwachs, Lucy De Marigny Lagesse, Raphaelle Lamusse) - 56:17.278
3. Rwanda (Eric Muhoza, Shemu Nsingeyumva, Etienne Tuyizere, Xaveline Nirere, Diane Ingabire, Jazilla Mwamikazi) - 56:30.130
