Experience Namibia’s beauty

Wiebke Schmit
Some regard it as a hobby or sport while for others it simply is a means to travel - the bicycle. In the meantime, this innovation can proudly look back at a 200-year history. The very first bicycle was developed by the inventor Karl von Drais.

A whopping 132 200 000 bicycles were sold in the year 2012 alone (source: Trekkingbike).Cycling as a sport enjoys an ever-increasing measure of support in Namibia. Cycling events have become an integral part of our society and the fans of these muscle-driven two-wheelers train for months on end to reach the required level of fitness. Hundreds of bigger and smaller events take place during the year.

Largest number of fans

The Namibian Cycle Classic is one of the biggest cycling events in Namibia and takes place every October, when athletes compete over the distances of 35km, 60km and 100km. A mountain-bike race is also held separately. Since its small beginnings in the 1990s, this race has grown in size with approximately 1 500 entrants competing these days.

An adventure with sporty flair

The internationally-acclaimed Desert Dash makes big demands on the competitors and will be held for the 14th time this year. It is regarded as the fourth most difficult downhill race among the 15 most challenging races of this kind on a worldwide scale. Athletes must cross the Namib Desert within a time limit of 24 hours along a 369-km long gravel road from Windhoek to the coastal town of Swakopmund.

A unique experience - Desert Knights

The /Ai/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park is a unique environment for adventure sports activities, having beautiful mountainous scenery, a remote wilderness character and the presence of a major river within a desert environment. The perfect home for the Desert Knights MTB Tour - which combines five days of cycling, some of it at night under the full moon, and one day of canoeing on the Orange River, it is an event to behold. This year, it will start at beginning of September.

The aim of the tour is to contribute the tourism potential of the /A/Ais-Richtersveld Transfrontier Park by staging a world-class multi-stage MTB event. The proceeds of the tour will support the common conservation activities of this unique transfrontier park.

For more information, log on to www.desertknights-mtb.com

African Bikers

Another way of experiencing Namibia hands-on is by making use of the services of the German-owned African Bikers. Participants of these cycling tours can choose among 14-day or 17-day tours to some of the most beautiful tourist attractions in this country. The tours are mostly done by bike with intermittent vehicular transfers from one spot to the next. The visitor rides along the banks of the Fish River Canyon, crosses the Namib Desert and travels to the Spitzkoppe mountains via Swakopmund. It includes excursions to the bushman paintings of Twyfelfontein and includes a visit to the Etosha Game Reserve.

Log on to www.africanbikers.de/reisen/namibia.html for more information.

“Bike Team - Radreisen”

The aromatic and fresh fragrance of the veld, the scintillating air, which continuously plays tricks on your eyes with illusionary far-off lakes, combined with a caressing headwind, gives you an intense sensation of Namibia. If you want to experience Namibia differently while remaining active you need to plan a 17-day holiday with “Bike Team - Radreisen” and explore the country on two wheels. You better be used to cycling though because even though you cover a moderate 35 to 70 kilometres per day, those in the know will warn you of the regular and extreme slopes and inclines. You will visit the impressive Khomas Hochland, the Fish River Canyon as well as the warm springs at Ai-Ais, Sossusvlei, Walvis Bay, Swakopmund and its close-by moon landscape, Spitzkoppe and the Etosha Game Reserve, among many other sights. Upon finishing the tour, participators will find that they have covered a distance of 549 kilometres. A number of the destinations are accessed by making use of all-wheel-drive vehicles thus allowing for an untroubled trip and holiday.

Find more information at www.biketeam-radreisen.de/radurlaub-veloreise-afrika-namibia

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Allgemeine Zeitung 2024-09-21

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LaLiga: Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 1 Sevilla | Leganés 0 vs 2 Athletic Club | Real Betis 2 vs 1 Getafe SerieA: Hellas Verona 2 vs 3 Torino | Cagliari 0 vs 2 Empoli European Championships Qualifying: Stoke City 1 vs 3 Hull City English Championship: Stoke City 1 vs 3 Hull City Katima Mulilo: 20° | 36° Rundu: 22° | 37° Eenhana: 18° | 38° Oshakati: 18° | 37° Ruacana: 18° | 36° Tsumeb: 22° | 35° Otjiwarongo: 15° | 33° Omaruru: 15° | 35° Windhoek: 15° | 31° Gobabis: 12° | 32° Henties Bay: 11° | 21° Wind speed: 18km/h, Wind direction: NW, Low tide: 07:11, High tide: 13:35, Low Tide: 19:41, High tide: 01:54 Swakopmund: 13° | 15° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: N, Low tide: 07:09, High tide: 13:33, Low Tide: 19:39, High tide: 01:52 Walvis Bay: 11° | 20° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: N, Low tide: 07:09, High tide: 13:32, Low Tide: 19:39, High tide: 01:51 Rehoboth: 11° | 32° Mariental: 12° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 11° | 31° Aranos: 11° | 33° Lüderitz: 13° | 21° Ariamsvlei: 10° | 30° Oranjemund: 14° | 30° Luanda: 22° | 24° Gaborone: 12° | 25° Lubumbashi: 19° | 35° Mbabane: 8° | 12° Maseru: 4° | 17° Antananarivo: 11° | 32° Lilongwe: 19° | 30° Maputo: 14° | 22° Windhoek: 15° | 31° Cape Town: 11° | 24° Durban: 13° | 18° Johannesburg: 6° | 19° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 30° Lusaka: 19° | 29° Harare: 13° | 28° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.26 | EUR to NAD 19.53 | CNY to NAD 2.48 | USD to NAD 17.5 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.28 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.65 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.16 | RUB to NAD 0.19 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.91 | USD to AOA 927.77 | USD to BWP 13.17 | USD to EGP 48.46 | USD to KES 128.48 | USD to NGN 1593.37 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.45 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1831.97 Down -0.38% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14246.86 Up +0.44% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 30937.69 Up +1.96% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9651.25 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 622.23/OZ UP +1.35% | Copper US$ 4.31/lb DOWN -0.0032 | Zinc US$ 2 884.80/T DOWN -0.23% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.74/BBP DOWN -0.0019 | Platinum US$ 976.09/OZ DOWN -0.0067 Sport results: LaLiga: Deportivo Alaves 2 vs 1 Sevilla | Leganés 0 vs 2 Athletic Club | Real Betis 2 vs 1 Getafe SerieA: Hellas Verona 2 vs 3 Torino | Cagliari 0 vs 2 Empoli European Championships Qualifying: Stoke City 1 vs 3 Hull City English Championship: Stoke City 1 vs 3 Hull City Weather: Katima Mulilo: 20° | 36° Rundu: 22° | 37° Eenhana: 18° | 38° Oshakati: 18° | 37° Ruacana: 18° | 36° Tsumeb: 22° | 35° Otjiwarongo: 15° | 33° Omaruru: 15° | 35° Windhoek: 15° | 31° Gobabis: 12° | 32° Henties Bay: 11° | 21° Wind speed: 18km/h, Wind direction: NW, Low tide: 07:11, High tide: 13:35, Low Tide: 19:41, High tide: 01:54 Swakopmund: 13° | 15° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: N, Low tide: 07:09, High tide: 13:33, Low Tide: 19:39, High tide: 01:52 Walvis Bay: 11° | 20° Wind speed: 21km/h, Wind direction: N, Low tide: 07:09, High tide: 13:32, Low Tide: 19:39, High tide: 01:51 Rehoboth: 11° | 32° Mariental: 12° | 34° Keetmanshoop: 11° | 31° Aranos: 11° | 33° Lüderitz: 13° | 21° Ariamsvlei: 10° | 30° Oranjemund: 14° | 30° Luanda: 22° | 24° Gaborone: 12° | 25° Lubumbashi: 19° | 35° Mbabane: 8° | 12° Maseru: 4° | 17° Antananarivo: 11° | 32° Lilongwe: 19° | 30° Maputo: 14° | 22° Windhoek: 15° | 31° Cape Town: 11° | 24° Durban: 13° | 18° Johannesburg: 6° | 19° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 30° Lusaka: 19° | 29° Harare: 13° | 28° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.26 | EUR to NAD 19.53 | CNY to NAD 2.48 | USD to NAD 17.5 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.28 | EGP to NAD 0.35 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.65 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.16 | RUB to NAD 0.19 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.91 | USD to AOA 927.77 | USD to BWP 13.17 | USD to EGP 48.46 | USD to KES 128.48 | USD to NGN 1593.37 | USD to ZAR 17.41 | USD to ZMW 26.45 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1831.97 Down -0.38% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 14246.86 Up +0.44% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 30937.69 Up +1.96% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9651.25 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 622.23/OZ UP +1.35% | Copper US$ 4.31/lb DOWN -0.0032 | Zinc US$ 2 884.80/T DOWN -0.23% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 74.74/BBP DOWN -0.0019 | Platinum US$ 976.09/OZ DOWN -0.0067