…after failed trip to Canada
Leemisa Thuseho
LEADING Lesotho road cyclists, Khotsofalang Rakaota and Kabelo Makatile, will line up for the 2026 Volta Tour of Angola, which gets underway tomorrow.
The 10-stage race will start in Bié Province before passing through Huambo, Huíla, Benguela, Cuanza Sul and other parts of Angola, and will run until 18 October.
The annual race has attracted cyclists from Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Cape Verde, Namibia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zimbabwe and São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as Lesotho.
Rakaota and Makatile will compete under the flag of their Namibia-based club, Namibia Cleaning Chemical Solutions (NCCS) Pro Cycling Team.
After the Angola race, the duo will travel to Kenya for the 2026 African Cycling Confederation (CAC) African Road Championships, scheduled for 21 to 25 October in Kisumu County.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Makatile said the Angola race would provide valuable preparation for the African Championships.
“Everything is well and we are ready for the Angola race, where we are going to represent our club, the NCCS,” Makatile said.
“This will be a good warm-up ahead of the African Championships.”
The Angola race will also offer Rakaota an opportunity to return to international competition after he missed the 2026 International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships in Montréal, Canada.
Rakaota was scheduled to compete alongside Pontšo Makatile at the championships, which were held from 20 to 27 September, but the Lesotho cyclists were unable to make the trip.
Cycling Federation of Lesotho (CFL) relations officer, Liteboho Letlala, said the team’s participation was cancelled because of a lack of funding.
“We could not attend the World Championships due to financial challenges,” Letlala said.
Meanwhile, 20-year-old Rakaota last month made history by becoming the first Lesotho rider to win the MTN Khemani Road Classic.
Rakaota dominated the 100km Mankayane-to-Gege race in eSwatini, clocking an impressive time of 2:04:20 to secure a landmark victory for Lesotho in the road cycling event.
