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HEADLINE: De Lange looks forward to booming career

Nearly twenty years after being inspired by his father to take up cycling, Namibian cyclist Tristan de Lange fulfilled his promise that he would win the Nedbank Desert Dash as a solo cyclist despite stiff opposition from renowned European cycling champions Konny Looser (six-time Desert Dash champion) and Vinzent Dorn.

“I always used to tell my father that if I do solo, I will win solo, because for me it was already written in stone. I believed that I was capable of doing it and it was almost inevitable in my mind,” he says.

De Lange managed to cross the Desert Dash finish line in 14:55:30 with Looser hot on his heels, with a one-second time difference and Dorn managing a time of 14:55:43.

The annual Nedbank Desert Dash is the longest single-stage mountain-bike race in the world and at its last instalment challenged riders to take on 939 km from Windhoek to Swakopmund, adding an additional 20 km to the already gruelling distance. Cyclists must make it to the finish line with their bicycles within 24 hours or they are disqualified.

De Lange explains that the confidence he had in himself started to wane as the Nedbank Desert Dash line-up was announced.

“Obviously there are doubts, everyone has doubts – and then you see the start list – Konny Looser: six-time champion, ex-European champion, ex-Swiss champion – he is one of the best in the world. And then a friend of mine, Vinzent Dorn, came and he was on the German national podium and packs out power numbers like no-one can believe. We had the SA road champion there; we had a very high-calibre year,” he says.

De Lange explains that he had to rely on his own experience and qualifications to find the courage to face his opponents. “You look at your own achievements and your own wins and you think to yourself that you’ve won all these things too,” says De Lange.

The Desert Dash was founded by a group of friends nearly two decades ago when they decided to take on the challenge of cycling from Windhoek to Swakopmund. The fact that De Lange’s father, Aiden de Lange, was one of these friends makes Tristan’s win all the more special.

“It was a big achievement, not just for me, but for my family and for Namibia, because you bring the trophy back home – it’s our event and our prize. It’s what the world sees when they think of cycling in Namibia, so to have a Namibian back on top is something special,” he says.

Before De Lange would beat out some of the leading cyclists in the world at the 2021 Nedbank Desert Dash, he replaced Dan Craven in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in the men’s road cycling event. Despite being pulled from the road roughly halfway through the 234 km route, De Lange is grateful for the opportunity to have cycled among the world elite.

De Lange says that, like his other wins, he is taking his Nedbank Desert Dash victory and his Olympic experience in his stride. “I have got a lot to do in the world of cycling. For this year I’ll be switching to road cycling, I’ve got a number of opportunities in Spain, where I will be located from April onwards. There’s a lot coming for my career, I’ve got about 10 years left of my career. I’ve got big plans for myself,” he says.