‘Emperor’ Poloko sets a new high!

The bar has been risen! We are edging towards our first podium finish in a major race. Poloko Makara has recorded Lesotho’s best ever finishing position in a CSA Pro-level race with an impressive 8th position in the recent 2010 Emperor’s Casino Classic held in Gauteng on 07 February 2010.

According to Nic White of Team Medscheme, the race was very aggressive, but conditions were ideal. The two big teams Medscheme and MTN battled out for the honours with Malcolm Lange grasping his 406th career victory in the final sprint. Also in the mix was Burry Stander, SA’s mountainbike world champion.

Tucked behind these top professional riders, Poloko rode the race of his career so far to score an amazing result. The 105km race was timed at 2h16m, which makes an average of 46km/h.

Poloko received a special invitation to attend the UCI African Continental Cycling Centre training camp which started on 1st February and ends on 1st April. He has proved his worth already with this performance.

Next up are the South African Championships on 20th Feb. Unfortunately, he will not be racing in the prestigious Cape Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town next month, because of the restricted budget for the UCI training camp.

More detailed results are available on UCI African Continental Cycling Centre website.