Unimills-Hokoyo duo making their mark in the saddle

Simba Jemwa, Sports Correspondent
THE Unimills-Hokoyo Cycling Club duo of Charles Nesta and Lizwilenkosi Sibanda continue to make their mark on the Zimbabwean road racing scene, dropping impressive results in and outside the country in the lead up to the National Road Racing and Time Trial Championships which will be held later in the year.

At age 20, Sibanda sits at the top National leaderboard and is the reigning national Under-23 champion while Nesta is undoubtedly the best contender for the national junior champion title this year.

It has been a sensational period for the duo who are yet to taste defeat since they joined Unimills-Hokoyo at its inception two years ago.

“There are things I wish I did more of but even if I don’t win the title, to be 20 and battling with top riders in the country, who are older than me and have awesome experience, especially with the field of riders in the sport now,” Sibanda said.

“This is the best year I’ve ever had, but as an athlete, I always want more and am always super picky.”

Recently, Sibanda packed up his belongings after he was officially invited to South Africa to be part of riders from 15 other African countries who are taking part in the camp that began on 1 February and ended on 3 March.

He returned to South Africa in May for yet another training camp this time focusing on track racing and is due to compete at the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) All-African Championships, a track racing competition.

Since Sibanda was crowned the Zimbabwe National Under-23 Road Cycling Championships Road race and time trial champion, the Bulawayo-born lad has continued to improve his racing but says the little things that he’s changed in his mindset have the biggest difference in his racing.

“I think just having that self-confidence and true self-belief in myself is what clicked,” Sibanda said on his year so far.

“I find a difference between being able to say you can do it and actually truly believing you can do it inside that you can do it, I feel like that’s two different things.”

Nesta, like Sibanda, enjoys being thrown in the deep end as it provides the ideal environment to learn and develop.

The 15-year-old began his year at home in Bulawayo, partaking in a handful of domestic events as he continues to chase his dream.

“The level of competition here is so much higher for me because when I race, I normally race against more experienced riders because there are very few juniors in the country.

The races are so different, if you don’t get out on that first straight, it’s hard to recover,” Nesta said.

The Northlea High School learner who is undoubtedly the best junior rider in the country at the moment has taken five wins from five races and thoroughly enjoys testing himself week in and week out as he sees it as the best way to mature.

“I’ve been pushing myself a lot in the last year, going off my first road race only last year and then racing with the big guys since then. I didn’t feel so out of the water,” Nesta said on his year thus far.

Both riders began their cycling journey at a young age, with Nesta starting his career at Team Unimills-Hokoyo.

“I got into the sport when I was 14, and my whole family has been very supportive.

Since I joined the team, Davies has always made sure I work hard and get everything I need to grow as a cyclist,” Nesta said on his introduction to competitive cycling.

A key influence on the duo’s cycling careers is well-renowned businessman and team principal Davis Muhambi. Muhambi signed both riders to the team when he founded it two years ago and has seen first-hand their development on and off the saddle.

“They’ve gone from cycling enthusiasts to champions.

Every time they see some form of challenge, they want to beat it,” Muhambi said on the duo’s progression.

“When I started Unimills-Hokoyo, my aim was not just to produce champion riders, but also to empower these young men.

I wanted to develop not just riders but gentlemen and women who could add value to our society while earning a decent living from their craft.

With the continued technical support from Infinita Academy (UK), elite world-renowned coach, Bosseau Boshoff, sponsorship from Greens Supermarkets, Broadhaven Construction, benefactors like Edward Gwekwete in the Cayman Islands and Denzel Bana from Ajay Motorways, we surely can achieve more.

This coupled with our new junior development programme this summer, will see the flood gates open for new high-level talent especially among the girl child.

These two have always been those kids who want to take it to the highest level and have showed this in their training and racing, so all we did was pour some fuel on it and let them do the rest,” Muhambi told Sunday Sport. – @RealSimbaJemwa.