26 Jun 2023

 Team Swift Cycling Club’s Lloyd Molale is the proudest man after riding his name into this year’s national road championships.

Molale scored the proudest moment of his cycling career Sunday in the national championships that featured the strongest field and the country’s crème de la crème in the likes of Mark van Zyl, Abeng Malete, Matlhogonolo Botlhole, Gontse Lethokwe, Lobone Rammidi, Thabiso Mokalake, Katlego Ditlogolo, Nonofo Maswabi, Lobopo Kono, Simphiwe Potongwane as well as Subho Ghosh.

Team Swift controlled both the elite as well as the under 23 races with their star studded bumper event, eventually claiming the blue, black and white bands in the under 23 and elite categories before spectators, who had also come in numbers for the spectacular event.

The fiercely contested elite category in which Molale claimed his maiden national championship title after 140km distance, saw van Zyl and Rammidi sprinting neck and neck to the finish clocking 3:42:42 each and respectively getting second and third spot in the podium. However, it was not an easy victory as at 45km to the finish, Lethokwe and Molale caught up with the leading trio with van Zyl and Botlhole getting in the mix and going all in to prepare for the sprint finish.

The rival teams, Jwaneng club and Team Swift went all in for the sprint in the most contested chase for the blue, black and white bands in years.

In an interview after the race, Molale said Team Swift had been working for the national title and he was confident the title would remain in the club.

“Today I had a simple strategy to isolate Malete so that it is easier to work around our plan, and we managed easily.

We pushed and dropped some of the riders, and increased numbers to get to the sprint finish,” he said.

Botlhole of Team Swift also made his mark defending his 140km under 23 title in a smooth 3:42:41, Orapa Cycling Club’s Richmond Madira came in second after Botlhole in 3:52:24 while Tefo Kaudi from Botrail Cycling Club got podium finish of 4:04:51.

In an interview, Botlhole said it was an incredible day for him once again to have defended the Under 23 title.

“My plan still remains to be at the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland,” he added.

Meanwhile, it became a sad day for Mokalake of Team Swift who failed to defend his national title due to a mechanical glitch.

He had gone all out from the start of the race, breaking away from the peloton with Jwaneng Cycling Club’s Rammidi and Oabile Tingwane while his teammates stayed in the chasing peloton, a strategy the club had put in place.

Mokalake’s bike failed him just five kilometres to the finish line and could not be a part of the sprint finish. ENDS