Marzaan Mellett won the African road title in the Under-23 women’s category as Cycle Nation teammate Lisa Bone took Elite silver in Kisumu, Kenya, on 24 October 2026.
The results came in the combined 122.3-kilometre women’s road race at the 2026 African Continental Road Cycling Championships. South Africa’s Magda Nieuwoudt won the overall race and secured the Elite African Continental title.
Nieuwoudt completed the race in 3:28:50 after building a decisive advantage over the chasing riders. Bone finished second overall, 5:52 behind, and claimed the Elite Women’s silver medal.
Tiffany Keep made it a South African sweep of the Elite Women’s podium. She placed third, 12:09 behind Nieuwoudt.
Mellett finished fifth in the combined field and ranked highest among the Under-23 riders. That result gave her the 2026 African Continental Under-23 Road Championship title.
Mellett adds African road title to standout season
Mellett’s continental road victory adds another major result to her 2026 campaign. In February, she won the Under-23 individual time trial at the South African National Road Championships.
She has also produced strong domestic results across road and gravel racing this year. Her season included victory at the Crater Express and several other notable performances.
The Under-23 result in Kisumu marked another step in Mellett’s development. She added a continental road racing crown to the national title she earned earlier in the season.
South African riders filled the top two positions in the Under-23 classification. Megan Botha finished sixth overall to take second in the category.
Ethiopia’s Kahsay Tsige Kiros completed the Under-23 podium after crossing the line eighth overall.
Bone secures Elite silver before WorldTour move
Bone continued her strong 2026 season by finishing second in the Elite Women’s race. Her result completed a South African one-two behind Nieuwoudt.
The medal came during an important week for Bone. She recently confirmed a two-year move to UCI Women’s WorldTour team EF Education–Oatly from 2027.
Bone has already built a broad 2026 results list across several disciplines. She won the Cape Town Cycle Tour and earned silver at the South African Elite Road Championships.
She also took silver at the South African Gravel Championships. Her season further included a commanding solo win at the Around the Pot UCI Gravel World Series event.
Bone’s Kisumu result added another international championship medal to that campaign. It followed South Africa’s gold medal in the Mixed Team Relay earlier at the same championships.
South Africa controls women’s road race in Kisumu
South African riders occupied every place on the Elite Women’s podium. The result underlined the strength of the national squad in the continental competition.
Nieuwoudt’s winning margin showed her control of the race. She finished almost six minutes ahead of Bone after the 122.3-kilometre contest.
The route opened with largely rolling terrain before a tougher climbing section later in the race. One listed climb measured 2.1 kilometres at an average gradient of 7.2%.
The women’s race also highlighted South Africa’s emerging depth. Mellett and Botha took the first two places in the Under-23 category.
For Cycle Nation, the championships added another important result to a season of national, continental and international racing. Bone’s WorldTour move and Mellett’s continental title both point to continued progress in South African women’s cycling.
Elite Women’s podium
- 1. Magda Nieuwoudt (South Africa) — 3:28:50
- 2. Lisa Bone (South Africa) — +5:52
- 3. Tiffany Keep (South Africa) — +12:09
Under-23 Women’s podium
- 1. Marzaan Mellett (South Africa) — 5th overall
- 2. Megan Botha (South Africa) — 6th overall
- 3. Kahsay Tsige Kiros (Ethiopia) — 8th overall
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