It was a shocking experience on Monday as 19 year old Frank Akufo put up a blistering performance to emerge as the winner for the 2017 Cowbell Cycling Challenge.
Frank shrugged off stiff opposition from pre-competition favourite Isaac Sackey to scoop the trophy, GHc 2,000 prize money, a bike from Decathlon, souvenirs and products from Cowbell among others.
The 84 kilometres race saw 100 cyclists starting the competition from the Black Star Square (Independence Square) through Nungua to Tema and then back to some principal streets in Accra and finally ending the race in Teshie.
An elated Frank Akufo said he didn’t really expect to win the race due to the quality of opposition he had on the day but he persevered and soldiered on to shock all.
“I’m really excited that I’ve been able to win this. Indeed years of hard training and commitment to the sport of cycling has paid off and I’m grtefull to all who helped me get to this level. I honestly didn’t think I could beat Isaac Sackey because he was the favourite but I gave it my all and at the end of the day, I won. I thank Isaac for pushing me during the race.” Frank Akufo said.
He expressed his gratitude to the sponsors Cowbell and Decathlon for putting the event together and intimated his desire to compete in the Tour De France.
“I’m grateful to Cowbell for putting this cycling challenge together. Competitions like this keep us in shape and I’m happy I won this race. I hope to be at the next Tour De France competition.” Frank added.
Isaac Sackey came second and walked away with GHc 1000, a GHc 400 shopping voucher and products and souvenirs from Cowbell while Emmanuel Sackey scooped third place and got GHc 500, a GHc 200 shopping voucher and souvenirs and products from Cowbell.
Sales and Marketing Director for Promasidor Timo Van Vooren asserted his outfits resolve in helping the least financed sports in Ghana.
“As a brand Cowbell is happy to be associated with cycling and seeking to help promote it. We put a lot of logistics together to execute this competition.” Mr. Van Vooren said.
On his part, Gideon Kodo, Events and Brands manager for Promasidor praised the cyclists for their commitment and discipline throughout the race which ensured that there were no casualties.
“It’s refreshing that the 2017 Cowbell Cycling Challenge has ended on a good note and we’re excited that we were able to execute this event as planned. It’s been Cowbell’s take to promote cycling by giving cyclists more competitions to keep them in shape. We hope to offer more support to the sport in the future.” Gideon Kodo concluded.