Plett's Hotchillee racer takes top spot in Paris

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Kwano Cycling Academy's 20-year-old cycling phenomenon Siphe Ncapayi has continued his rise in the world of cycling, with an impressive U23 General Classification win at the 2019 Hotchillee London-Paris Race.

The race covers 500km over three days, with the third stage forming part of the final stage of the Tour de France race, the cycling world's premier race.

Siphe found himself taking part in Group 1 of the five on offer, the group which is the designated "race" group (the other four are more casual, laid back), and is expected to maintain an average speed of at least 30km/h.

Siphe found himself taking part in the race at a time when Europe was experiencing record temperatures, but that would have been nothing new to Siphe and the other South African cyclists taking part. The first stage kicked off on 25 July with a 175km ride from Hampton Court to Folkestone in England, and Siphe narrowly missed out on top spot for the first stage, managing to earn himself second place with a time of 00:11:41.

He made up for the first stage with a powerful ride in the 164km second stage that took riders from Calais to Amiens in France, as he powered ahead to finish the stage in a time of 00:12:27, taking him to the top of the U23 General Classification standings heading into the final stage.

The final stage proved to bring on the same success for the Plett local, as he conquered the 183km final stage from Amiens to Paris in a time of 00:14:16, with an overall General Classification time of 00:38:25.

This not only brought Siphe a breakthrough win in the U23 General Classification category, but also saw him finish inside the Top 10 on the General Classification standings, a phenomenal achievement for someone his age. Siphe undoubtedly made his fans back home immensely proud, and was met at the finish line by the man who aided the start of Siphe's cycling career – Colin Shave, founder of Kwano Academy in 2014.

Siphe Ncapayi raises his bike at the Eiffel Tour following his Hotchillee London-Paris U23 victory last week.