Team Lesotho Cycling Grounded. Poloko to raise the flag alone

As Team Lesotho Cycling are still grounded at home, Poloko Makara is wondering whether he will raise the Lesotho flag at the African Cycling Championships alone. Funds for the rest of the team to travel to the Namibian capital, Windhoek, have been held up at the Lesotho Sports & Recreation Commission.

The prestigious event is to be held from 04-08 November 2009 and Team Lesotho Cycling had planned to take a big team of 10 riders to take best advantage of the close proximity, and more familiar conditions for the race. North Africa is a stronghold of African cycling and in past championships, conditions have been very hostile for Southern African competitors.

Poloko has benefited from a lift to Namibia with other competitors from the UCI African Continental Centre in Potchefstroom, where he has been training for the past month. The rest of the cost of the trip, such as food and accommodation, will have to come from his own pocket if the team trip fails. This is a price he is willing to pay to see his nation represented at the event.

Poloko has received sponsorship from Letšeng Diamonds to cover personal & other expenses in his quest to gain qualification for the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. This funding has presented him with the opportunity to train with top African riders in Potchefstroom.

Poloko fancies his chances of a high finish in this year’s event after finishing in 32nd position in Casablanca, Morocco, last year. He has been racing in high-profile South African races, and gained a 14th position finish in the 107km Telkom Satellite Challenge in Gauteng last weekend.

The main race in Windhoek will be the 147.4km mass start road race, which follows a 13.4km circuit, 11 times. The main contenders for the competition will be a very strong team from South Africa, the hosts, Namibia and the North Africans. Somewhat surprisingly, another small country Rwanda has a good cycling team, benefiting from a benevolent USA coach and a substantial government investment. This will only be the second time that Lesotho is represented at the African Championships. Realistically, our expectations are for a rider to finish the race within a few minutes of the winning time, although a top ten placed finish would be a fantastic result.

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