Windhoek: Namibia's Drikus Coetzee and Rwanda's Xaveline Nirere were on Sunday crowned overall winners of the general classification at the 2025 Tour de Windhoek.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the Tour de Windhoek comprised five stages and took place from 31 July to 03 August 2025. The race saw Namibia's top cyclists competing against some of the best riders from neighbouring countries in a four-day tour around the Namibian capital.
Coetzee, racing for Team Hollard Men, created a lead of over 30 seconds during stage two and managed the gap with composure over the remaining stages to secure the overall victory. He finished ahead of Christian van Rensburg of Cymot Racing, who claimed second place, and talented junior rider Roger Suren from Team Mannie's Bike Mecca, who delivered an exceptional performance to finish third overall.
In addition to his podium finish, Suren also earned the white jersey for Best Under-23 (U23) Rider. Other individual honours in the men's category included Coetzee winning the 'King of the Mountains' title and receiving the polka dot jersey, as well as being named Best Namibian Rider. The green jersey for Best Sprinter went to Angolan rider Cristian Perez of JT 300.
In the elite women's category, Team Amani delivered a dominant performance throughout the tour. Nirere, who produced a sensational ride in stage three on Saturday, gained over 12 minutes on her rivals to take the yellow jersey and ultimately, the overall title. Her teammates, Merhawit Asgodom, winner of the opening time trial, and Serkalem Watango completed the podium in second and third place, respectively. Ethiopian rider Asgodom also claimed the 'Queen of the Mountains' polka dot jersey and the white jersey for Best Under-23 Rider.
Nirere was further rewarded with the green jersey for Best Sprinter, while the award for Best Namibian Female Rider went to Anri Greef. In the men's team classification, Angola's Pedro de Luanda team took first place, with fellow Angolan team JT 300 finishing second, and Mannie's Bike Mecca securing third. In the women's team standings, Kenya's Team Amani claimed gold, while South Africa's Pirtek Customised Cycling and Cycle Nation Enza Construction took second and third places, respectively.
Speaking to Nampa after the race, Coetzee said he had anticipated more aggressive attacks from his rivals on the final day, but they never materialised. 'I felt extremely good today. I didn't need to ride aggressively because I had already done that on stage one. Today, I just needed to sit in, ride defensively, and follow the moves, and that's exactly what I did. It turned out to be quite an easy stage until the finish,' he said, adding, 'It's always special for a Namibian to win a Namibian tour.'
Nirere, meanwhile, expressed her delight at winning the yellow jersey, acknowledging the challenge of the race. 'Today's stage was hard to win, but our team performed very well. Winning this title means a lot and opens up more opportunities for me. In September, we have the African Championships in Rwanda, and I'm so excited to compete, especially since it will be held in my home country,' she said.