The Tour de Windhoek is set to make history in 2025 by earning its place on the UCI calendar for the first time. Scheduled for 20th–23th February 2025, the event will feature as the inaugural CAC Women’s Tour, bringing a new level of competition and opportunity to Namibian women’s cycling.
Namibia’s top female riders are poised to shine on home soil in the 2025 Tour de Windhoek Women. Among those expected to compete are seasoned professional Vera Looser, who has ridden for Bizkaia Durango (2017), Instafund Racing (2021), and Andy Schleck-CP NVST-Immo Losch (2022). Other prominent names include Melissa Hinz, Anri Greeff, Monique du Plessis, Monique Taylor, Jean-Marie Mostert, and Olivia Shililifa, who represented Canyon SRAM Generation in 2022 and 2023. The event’s UCI status offers these riders a platform to earn critical UCI points and prepare for international challenges, such as the UCI International Road Race Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, later in 2025.
The race was held at non-UCI level in 2023, with Melissa Hinz delivering a standout performance. She won two stages and clinched the general classification by just five seconds over Anri Greeff, who also claimed a stage victory. With the addition of international competitors in 2025, the upcoming race promises to be even more fiercely contested, as Namibian riders look to assert themselves on the global stage.
A partnership with CAC to grow the sport
At the event launch, Namibia Cycling Federation (NCF) vice president Axel Theissen reflected on the journey leading to UCI accreditation. He credited collaboration with the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC), which began in Cairo in 2022 during discussions with CAC president Dr Wagih Azzam.
“The first seed was planted when I met Dr Wagih Azzam in Cairo in 2022. I am very happy and grateful that our federation’s cooperation with the Confederation of African Cycling has grown from strength to strength since then and that we can now proudly launch this international multi-stage CAC Women’s Tour,” Theissen said.
Photo Credit: Tim de Waele/Getty ImagesTheissen added that the CAC would provide technical support, including race commissaires, a technical delegate, and CAC jerseys for classification leaders. “For the riders and the NCF this will imply that we will live up to international cycling standards, which I am convinced that we will be able to do without any major concerns,” he explained.
Namibia’s Minister of Sport, Agnes Tjongarero, praised the launch of the Tour de Windhoek Women as a pivotal moment for cycling in the country. “Today we celebrate a remarkable milestone – the launch of the Tour de Windhoek Women, which has achieved official UCI and CAC accreditation. This marks Namibia’s first-ever UCI-accredited road race for women, a significant step forward in promoting women’s cycling, not just in our country but across Africa,” she stated.
Tjongarero commended the Namibia Cycling Federation for its efforts in developing women’s cycling and noted how the sport is giving Namibian athletes a platform to shine internationally. She also expressed gratitude to the race sponsors, Pupkewitz Megabuild, Standard Bank Namibia, and Pupkewitz Motors, while highlighting the importance of private sector support.
“Private sector support is vital for the development of sport, and the government alone cannot carry this burden,” she said.
A challenging route for 2025 edition
The 2025 Tour de Windhoek Women will consist of six stages, starting with a 1km prologue on 20 February. The competition continues on Friday with an 80km road race at Teufel’sschlucht in the morning, followed by a 7km hill climb at Harmony Hill in the afternoon.
Saturday will feature the demanding ‘Queen Stage’ – an 80km road race on the Kupferberg Road – and a criterium later that day. The event concludes on Sunday, 23 February, with a 67km road race to Matchless Mine.
Main photo credit: Helge Schütz
