The very first world cycling championships organized in Africa will take place at the end of September 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. To surf the event, the International Cycling Union has selected the best African hopes to bring them together in Brittany, in order to best prepare them for the Worlds.
Leaving Africa to go to Brittany can only be for bicycle. Pulls and rain jacket in the suitcase, 13 runners from the whole African continent settled in a gîte in Gomené (22), a small town lost in the middle of Brittany, with a goal: to prepare the world cycling championships, for the first time organized on the African continent, in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, from September 21, 2025. ” Federation “, explains Jacques Landry, in charge of the program. “It is true that Brittany, it may seem surprising as a choice, for them too, but when we look at the relief in the Arrée mountains, it’s a bit of what we find in Rwanda, without altitude of course.” In parallel with training in Brittany, the group participates in various races in Europe. “The Worlds will run to the European, so they have to learn this cycling,” adds the boss of Africa 2025.
For the 13 athletes participating in the program, some for two years already, it is a real life change, all make the same observation. “It’s much colder here!” Smiles Georgette Vignufondo, arriving from Benin with his teammate Vanette Houssou. “It is true that we have to adapt, we miss our families but we get used to it,” added the latter, just returned from a four -hour outing in the Breton wind. Rwandan, Mauritians, Beninese, Eritreans, all coexist in a large country gîte, where the language barrier sometimes complicates things. “There are very few who speak English so for understanding the rules of life, the running instructions, it’s a bit complicated,” admits Steven Laget, team’s technical advisor. Some even struggle to communicate with their loved ones. “In Eritrea, there is no internet network so they cannot make calls on WhatsApp, these are big sacrifices,” adds Steven.
-Leader: Bniam Gitery
These sacrifices have one goal: to integrate one day, a professional team. Because all have the same model: the Eritrean Biniam Girmay, the best African of the world peloton, three times stage winner on the Tour de France, mounted on the final podium of the last lap with the green jersey. “He is the first for us. The African who has shown that we can shine in cycling, that it is not only the whites who are cycling. He has shown it to the whole world. We can imitate him if we give ourselves,” adds Georgette. A speech shared by Juliano Ndriamanampy, 16 -year -old Mauritian and the only French -speaking or English -speaking boy in the group. “We also have Kim the Court (winner of Liège-Bastogne-Liège women on April 27), it is a model for a small island like Maurice.” As for Jazilla Mwamikazi, the Rwandan team, she is looking forward to the world championships. “There are not many women to cycling in Rwanda,” says the young runner, who has become the first Rwandan to participate in the Olympic mountain biking games this summer in Paris. “I am proud of my country, my parents are too looking forward to that I come for the world championships.”
With this program of 1.6 million euros, the UCI hopes to further develop cycling in Africa. “The program will stop after the world championships,” adds Jacques Landry. “The objective is that they are recruited by professional teams afterwards.” Jazilla Mwamikazi does not intend to stay at home. “If I want to be like Pauline Ferrand-Prévot I have to stay in Europe!”
Maria Azé, Gomené (22)
