The Bicycling Empowerment Network Namibia (BEN Namibia) and its sponsors this week officially launched a cycling team, Team BEN Namibia, made up of top Namibian cyclists committed not only to the developing of the sport, but to preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS in Namibia.Sponsors include the U.S. Embassy through a grant from the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Nucleus Health and Fitness Club, and Bicycles for Humanity. “Namibia needs this sort of innovative HIV/AIDS prevention outreach. We are committed to assisting Team BEN in its pursuit of excellence and in spreading HIV/AIDS prevention messages, promoting healthy life styles, and encouraging testing,” said Ray Castillo, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer.Team BEN Namibia will work to raise HIV/AIDS awareness, advocate prevention, encourage voluntary HIV/AIDS counselling and testing, and promote healthy life style choices, especially for Namibian youth.”Know your HIV Status. Get fit, be focused. Do sports, not drugs” are the messages the team members will convey to the Namibian youth.Team member Victor Nakalenga has been cycling since the age of 15 and credits his interest in the sport with keeping him away from alcohol and drugs. He and fellow teammates hope to serve as positive role models for Namibian youth.The seven member Team BEN Namibia also aims to compete at the highest levels in Namibia while promoting cycling to youth. They successfully completed the Windhoek Pedal Power 2008 summer road series and after four months of gruelling races finished with the top three positions in the elite men’s category.In coming months, the team will make live appearances in the “Spin for Life” tour, with events in Windhoek, the coast, and the northern regions, featuring team members on trainers and exercise bikes, screenings of bicycle racing DVDs, and lucky draw competitions at shopping centres, cultural and sporting events, and youth clubs.