Africa Rising Cycling Podcast

Its National Champs time! Our review of all the action 30.06.2026 30m

Per UCI rule 1.2.029: "National road championships shall be organised during the last full week of the month of June" and over the last few days, we have seen 12 African nations organise their National road championships, including Eritrea, Algeria, Mauritius alongside relatively new countries like Kenya and Eswatini. South Africa and Namibia held theirs in February.On the podcast today, we talk through:- The vital nature of National Championships in terms of riders experiencing a UCI-sanctioned race, still rare for a lot of young African riders; - A deep-dive into the results of the top African nations; - The breaking news that it seems that Rwanda did not register their National Championships with the UCI, and Kim's experience with this situation in Benin in 2021; and- How several nations, including Cote d'Ivoire (the nation of current UCI Confederation of African Cycling President) did not register their National championships with the UCI at all.We have a comprehensive database of all UCI-sanctioned race results across Africa on our website.We are also very happy that several of the riders who won either ITT or Road Race titles feature in our recently published 'Top Ten Next Gen' article for Rouleur Magazine. Check it out!

Operating in the heart of the DRC - Meet Goma Cycling Club 25.06.2026 29m

Over a decade ago in the DRC, Charles-Guy Makongo already had his hands full helping the country's most vulnerable people access justice and avoid violence in his day job working there as Country Director for the American Bar Association. However, in his free time, after meeting them when out for a bike ride, he took some 30 teenage cyclists under his wing and created the Goma Cycling Club.Fast forward ten years, and one of the club's young talents Joel Kyaviro stood on the podium as a stage winner at the 2026 Tour of Cameroon - the DRC's first ever UCI race win!Listen to Guy as he talks passionately about building a safe and positive environment for these young people; how an article in The Guardian by Ruth Maclean and Caleb Kabanda got them international attention and donors; and how they continue to foster young talent in a very difficult environment.In early 2025, Africa Rising Cycling partnered with Goma CC and some of its European donors, and supplied new Zwift Hubs and Wahoo HRMs for them to train safely, as riding outside was impossible with a conflict with Rwanda raging all around. The ability to continue training and operating kept Goma CC going through the conflict. We thank our partners Zwift and Wahoo for saving this vital club in the region.Goma CC is always looking for donations, bikes, clothing, bottles, and equipment for their riders. To get in touch with them, contact Guy on: charlesguymakongo@gmail.com Give them a follow on Instagram too. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you do, please share on your social media!

Season 2: Creating a Cycling Culture in Africa: Meet Village Bicycle Project 17.06.2026 29m

As the first episode of our new season, this discussion could not be further from recent podcasts talking about African professional cycling, however, as we will discuss, they are still linked, all through the bicycle.In this episode, we are talking real grass-roots cycling. We are joined by Joshua Poppel, the Executive Director of the Village Bicycle Project (VBP) non-profit. VBP has been operating in Africa for over two decades, aiming to empower communities by strengthening bicycle culture. Their programs couple quality subsidized bicycles with hands-on maintenance training for new owners. They also give village bike mechanics detailed training along with access to specialized bike tools and spare parts. VBP is focused on Sierra Leone and Ghana.We discussed VBP's mission, and their impact to date; the changes Joshua has seen in both countries through the acceptance and passion for cycling across communities; the evolution of cycling as a sport, notably in Sierra Leone through the tireless work of their partner Abdul Karim Kamara (CEO and Founder of Tour De Lunsar and the Lunsar Cycling Team) and the success of the Tour of Lunsar there in getting local people excited about cycling; Joshua's recent participation in the SUFFER event (An Africa Rising Cycling fundraider in the USA) and the launch of a SUFFER Wyoming Gravel event in September (contact info@teamafricarising.org for more info!); and finishing on the need for more cycling-related infrastructure across Africa, with Kimberly highlighting Benin's recent investment in bike lanes in the capital city of Cotonou.Joshua shares at the end how they are always in need of bicycles, bike parts, board members and of course donations. Check out their website for more details on getting involved! Give them a follow on Facebook or Instagram to see updates on their work.

Meet Madar Pro Cycling - Africa's #1 Men's UCI Continental Team 09.06.2026 23m

This week, we sat down with Dahmane Abdesslam, the Principal of the Madar Pro Cycling Team. Madar are African-owned and registered in Algeria, and have had a nix of Algerian, African and international riders on their roster., since launching as a UCI team just two years ago. Their ProCyclingStats bio can give you more infomation.Algerian star riders like Azzedine Lagab and Youcef Reguigui have been on their roster, and in 2025 they were the #1 African UCI Continental Team, and broke into the Top 50 teams globally. On 5 June 2026, they won the Tour de Maurice, as well as taking the coveted KOM Jersey.Our CEO Kimberly Coats and our Podcast Host Jeremy Ford talked to Dahmane about the team, their strategy, Algerian cycling and women's cycling there. We hope you enjoy!

Racing Recap: We take a look at how African riders and races are doing (so far!) 02.06.2026 30m

As we enter June, we thought it a good time to do a quick recap on some of the big headlines in African road cycling so far, and some things to watch out for in June:We take a look at the men's and women's UCI league tables for the 2026 season so far. Eritrea dominates the men's rankings taking the 1-5 spots, and kudos to Eritrean Natnael Tesfatsion (Movistar) for topping the men's league table, the first time Biniam Girmay has been de-throned in several years!We talk through some of the big moments from the recent UCI 2.2 Tour du BeninWe hear from special guest Michel Mayer, the President of Mauritius Cycling and on the organising committee of the Tour of Mauritius (starting today - 2 June). Start-list on ProCyclingStats here.Some initial insights on the Tour of Cameroon (starts on 3 June) Start-list on ProCyclingStats here.and finally: a quick preview of the dozen or so National Road Cycling Championships taking place in late June. You can see a full list on our website HERE.We hope you enjoy this episode! Let us know feedback in the comments!

Truly Africa's Team: The Amazing Work of Team BIKE AID 26.05.2026 30m

In this episode, we sat down with Matthias Schnapka, the owner of Team BIKE AID, one of the most prolific supporters of young African professional cyclists in history.BIKE AID is a German professional cycling team founded in 2005 as a non-profit association, and based on a unique cycling community of over 1,200 supporters. BIKE AID stands for enjoying cycling, nature and social commitment.Matthias has been a long-term supporter of bringing young African talent to the international cycling world, since his visit to the Tour of Togo in 2013. On the podcast, he talks through his journey in creating and building Team BIKE AID; some of the incredible talents he has seen come through like Dawit Yemane, Milkias Maekele and Meron Amanuel; the team's unique #rideforafrica jersey (a part of the sales of which fund development grants for young African riders - in partnership with Africa Rising Cycling); and his thoughts on the latest Eritrean talents he has on the squad for 2026: Yoel Habteab, Even Yemane and Nahom Efriem. We hope you enjoy this conversation with a truly influential and yet very humble man in African cycling development.

Merhawi Kudus - A True Pioneer of African Professional Cycling 19.05.2026 25m

We are most excited to share this podcast today!Merhawi "Mera" Kudus is truly one of the pioneers of African professional cycling. After excelling for the UCI World Cycling Center, he joined the MTN Qhubeka Team in 2014 alongside some of the big names in African cycling: Louis Meintjes, Adrien Niyonshuti, Tsgabu Grmay, Daniel Teklehaimanot and Reinardt Janse van Rensburg.The success of these early Eritrean riders laid the foundations for the next generation like Biniam Girmay and Natnael Tesfatsion to build on, and with a third generation of young sensations like Nahom Efriem (BIKE AID) and Milkias Maekele (INEOS Grenadiers) coming through strong again.We talked to Mera about his journey, his inspiration, his different teams, favourite races and moments, and his thoughts for the key areas of focus for young riders. We hope you enjoy this time with one of the true greats of African cycling. Elelelelelelele!

Alexandre Mayer - Meet Mauritius' Top Male Rider 12.05.2026 21m

In our latest podcast, we sat down with Alexandre Mayer, the leading male cyclist from the island of Mauritius. The 28-year-old rider is in his second year at the Pro Continental level with the Burgos Burpellet BH team, alongside Merhawi Kudus. Alex took the 'Best African' jersey at the 2.2 Tour du Benin and when we spoke he was next heading to Azerbaijan for the 2.1 Baku Khankendi Cycling Race there (he will be racing stage three there when this podcast is published).He is always remarkably honest and open, and talks passionately about his recent marriage to fellow Mauritian cyclist Lucie de Marigny-Lagesse - who went pro in 2026 with the WCC Team - and how they are sharing their journey together. We hope you enjoy this discussion!

Introducing Salami Avocetien - The 21yo Rising Star of African Cycling Development 05.05.2026 28m

In this episode, Kim and Jeremy on our team sat down with Salami Avocetien of the Benin Cycling Federation. At just 21 years old, he speaks French, English, four local languages, has his UCI Level 2 Coaching Qualification (Level 3 will be achieved in one month), made his debut as a DS (Directeur Sportif) at Tour du Benin - accompanied by our CEO Kimberly Coats - for the Benin National Team , heads to the UCI this summer for a 3-month internship, and will complete a Masters degree as well. He is a truly remarkable young man. With Benin seeing its first rider get a professional contract in 2026 (Georgette Vignonfodo - WCC Women's Team), Salami might be the next biggest thing to come out of cycling in Benin, and across West Africa. The future for this young man is so bright in our sport. Have a listen to his story...

Rogora! Rogora! Ethiopia's Kiya Rogora Shares His Plans For The New JR Pro Cycling Team (Ethiopia) 28.04.2026 29m

Two week's ago we featured the father-son Uwimana cycling dynasty in Rwanda, and we now move our focus 3000km to Dire Dawa in eastern Ethiopia, home of the famous Rogora cycling family!On this edition of the Africa Rising Cycling Podcast, we talked to 22-year-old Kiya Rogora, a professional cyclist who has already raced around the world for pro teams and for Ethiopia.Kiya recently launched an exciting new men's road racing team in Ethiopia: JR Pro Cycling. The name brings to life his father's name - Jemal Rogora - an Olympian and one of Ethiopia's most famous cyclists. Dire Dawa has a long history of cycling prowess, but has recently been somewhat overshadowed by the sheer volume of riders coming from the Tigray region in the north of the country. JR Pro Cycling aims to bring back the pride in Dire Dawa, and maybe become Ethiopia's first ever men's professional UCI team. Kiya talks through his career, his heroes, the success of the team so far, the challenges, and the hunt for sponsors to join them in the journey. We hope you enjoy!

Its Time For West Africa's Biggest Race: The Tour du Bénin! 21.04.2026 29m

This weekend, teams from around Africa, Europe and Asia will arrive in Cotonou, on the Atlantic shore of Benin, in the heart of West Africa, for the UCI 2.2 Tour du Bénin!We sat down with race organiser, President of Bénin Cycling, famous artist and passionate cycling advocate, Romuald Hazoumé, to talk all things Tour du Bénin. He is one of Africa's leading cycling voices at the national Federation level. He calls out corruption, bad practice and laziness, and promotes equality, women's cycling and how Africa can help itself to develop a better cycling presence.Romuald talks about the work he has done with Africa Rising Cycling, the development of local coaches and commissaires, the support of Wahoo and Zwift, having David Lappartient come to present the yellow jersey on the first stage this year, and very importantly, his passion for ecology with a special prize each day for the team who are the most responsible for their ecological impact at the race. We can also no exclusively reveal that two major figures in world cycling will be joining us at the Tour du Bénin: UCI President David Lappartient who will present the yellow jersey at the end of the first stage; and Ned Boulting, one of cycling's most famous journalists, and founder of Never Strays Far - the world's #1 cycling podcast. Ned will be reporting on all things Tour du Bénin and joined us on this podcast to explain his plans. We hope you enjoy!

An African Star Rises: Meet 2026 Rwandan Junior MTB XCO Jonathan Uwimana! 14.04.2026 23m

On 29 March 2026, 17-year-old Muhawenimana Rafiki Jonathan won the Rwandan Junior MTB XCO National Championships. This was a great win for this rising young Rwandan star.However, this journey began twenty years ago, three years before he was born, when his father, the famous Rafiki 'Kiki' Uwimana* joined Adrien Niyonshuti, coach Jonathan 'Jock' Boyer and the original members of the famous Team Rwanda.Fast forward 20 years, Rafiki's son Jonathan wins the National Champion jersey, is coached by Benin's Salami Avocetien (a protégée of Niyonshuti), supported by Africa Rising Cycling, has a grant from his Virunga Valley Academy school, a bike loaned by Estonian World Tour rider Rein Taaramäe, and was watched proudly by his father. African cycling development truly 'takes a village' and we than all our donors who made this, and many of our ongoing projects possible. Thank you! To donate, click here!*If you happen to be visiting Rwanda, Rafiki runs one of the country's best cycle touring companies - you can find out more on his Instagram page.

Meet Louis Meintjes - Africa's Most Present Grand Tour Rider 07.04.2026 23m

As a soft spoken, 58kg, diminutive South African, Louis Meintjes has not spent a huge amount of time in the media's eye, preferring his riding and results do the talking. However he is a rider to whom all aspiring World Tour riders from Africa - and around the world - should pay attention. He has ridden in 20 Grand Tours, including 7 editions of the Tour de France, which is more than any other African rider. His GC 7th in the 2022 edition being a career highlight, among other great results that year.Now at home in Andorra learning how to parent two new-borns, Louis spoke candidly to us about his journey in the sport; the struggles in his early years trying to make it in Belgium; being motivated by the successes of Robbie Hunter and the late Burry Stander; how he maintained his motivation and belief; the pain of cobbles; riding on the Intermarché - Wanty team and seeing the rise of Biniam Girmay; and his insights for young riders on how to try and make it in cycling.Thanks to Louis for his truly open and honest discussion through becoming and maintaining a professional cycling career!

Meet Jean-Pierre van Zyl: Developing African Cyclists For Over Twenty Years 31.03.2026 35m

In this episode, we had an in-depth chat with Jean-Pierre van Zyl, the Director of the UCI's World Cycling Centre programme in Africa. He is based at the excellent WCC facility in Paarl, South Africa.JP often avoids the limelight, but has quietly been working with Africa's leading athletes for over two decades. From the big guns like Biniam Girmay and Kim Le Court Pienaar, to the new crop of rising stars like Tsige Kahsay Kiros (CANYON // SRAM zondacrypto Generation) and Nahom Efriem (Team BIKE AID) he has worked with almost every major African cyclist. We wanted to get behind the scenes to see what makes this man tick! It was a wonderful bonus to then be joined by two of the next generation of young athletes who are at the WCC this month. Hear from Fakudze Nozipho Madiswa - known as Manndi - from Eswatini, and Gift Puteho from Zambia on what the World Cycling Centre means to them and their development.

Meet CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation: Home of Ethiopia's Tsige Kahsay Kiros and Eritrea's Monalisa Araya 24.03.2026 28m

The CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation women's professional team has been supporting African female rising talent for several years. In 2026, they have signed two of Africa's most exciting young prospects: Ethiopia's Tsige Kahsay Kiros, and Eritrea's Monalisa Araya. Ahead of this duo from Easy Africa making their debut together on 21 March, we caught up with Beth Durea, a co-owner of the team, to talk about these exciting young athletes, and the structure being built around them to help them succeed.You can follow CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation on their social media channels on X/Twitter, Instagram and others, and check out their ProCyclingStats page for lots more information as well. Enjoy!

Handmade Bicycles From Deep in Africa: Meet Dan Craven and his Onguza Bicycle Company 17.03.2026 26m

Whilst we were on a trip to Namibia to discuss the creation of a new Virtual Performance Center there for youth development, we took some time to drop in one of Africa's pioneers in professional cycling: Dan "From Nam" Craven.Since retiring from professional cycling around the world, Dan established Onguza Bicycles, a unique handmade, custom steel bicycle manufacturing company in the heart of Africa. In this episode of the Africa Rising Cycling Podcast, Dan talks through his history, his inspiration and how the bicycles are made. We hope you enjoy this very special show.Check out the Onguza Bicycle website for more information, and if you want a steel framed one-of-a-kind bicycle, contact Dan to discuss. It will be a decision you won't regret.

Africa's Queen of the Road: Meet Kim Le Court Pienaar 10.03.2026 29m

In 2025, Kim Le Court Pienaar arrived in world cycling!In one incredible season she became Africa's most successful professional cyclist, winning one of the celebrated 'Monuments' and holding the 'maillot jaune' of the Tour de France longer than any other African rider in history, at the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift.Kim rides for the AG Insurance - Soudal Team and is passionately focused on her team-mates, and on helping make AG the best women's cycling team in the world. In a recent interview, she mentioned giving everything for Sarah Gigante later in the 2025 Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift as her personal highlight of the year, even though by doing so she lost the yellow jersey herself. Kim talks openly to us about her struggle to get to this point, almost giving up ten years ago, her highlights, the role of sports psychology and the impact of the menstrual cycle on female athletes. She is pragmatic, honest and passionate and it is a real pleasure to interview her. We hope you enjoy listening!

"Africa Is Not Just Rising, It's Risen!" Meet The Commentators! 03.03.2026 28m

For this episode of the Africa Rising Cycling Podcast, we wanted to hear the thoughts of some of the most knowledgeable people in the cycling world - the race commentators!We are proud to be joined by three of the finest, and folk with whom we have worked on many Africa related projects: Phil Liggett MBE, Hannah Walker, and Anthony McCrossan.Phil, Hannah and Anthony talk about witnessing the heroics and history-making moments of Biniam Girmay and Kim Le Court Pienaar, the dominance of Eritrea in African cycling, the rise of Ethiopia's Tsige Kahsay Kiros and African women's cycling, and their personal journeys into becoming commentators, their top African cycling moment (so far!) as well as many other insights. We hope you enjoy!Please do leave a review or comment, and share this podcast on your social media channels!

Scrape Those Tires! We meet Jamie Bissell, the most travelled and trusted mechanic in African cycling! 24.02.2026 26m

Many folk will not know the name Jamie Bissell. He avoids social media and the spotlight, however he is one of the most vital cogs in the success of African cycling for nearly 15 years!Hailing from California, Jamie is an elite UCI mechanic and we talk through his journey (so far!) in African cycling, which started when his mother shared the now legendaryPhilip Gourevitch’s 2011 New Yorker article, "Climbers" which told the story of Africa Rising's first project in Africa: Team Rwanda.Jamie's fascinating journey including stories from Eritrea, Algeria, Rwanda, Benin, Togo, Congo, Kenya as well as with Team USA and Team Canada.He has worked with some of the continent's top mechanics such as Kenya's Nixon Sewe, Ethiopia's Adhana ("GG") Gebregiorgis in Ethiopia and Rafiki Uwimana in Rwanda. Jamie names Park Tools' Calvin Jones (who just announced his retirement) and the legendary Craig Calfee as his heroes and inspiration.We hope you enjoy this broad and truly fascinating insight into cycling mechanic issues and developments across Africa!

Race Preview: Tour du Rwanda 2026 21.02.2026 33m

With the 2026 Tour du Rwanda starting on Sunday, Jeremy and Kim take a deep dive into the key facts, riders and data points for the 18th edition of the race! (Very much fuelled by ProCyclingStats data!) We look at the dominance of Eritrea in this race since its elevation to the UCI 2.1 level, with race winners like Henok Mulubrhan and Merhawi Kudus there to make it count. Alongside them, young talent like Awet Aman on Team Istanbul and Yoel Habteab on Team BIKE AID all looking for a good result.Kim shares some history of the race as well as a fascinating story of former UCI President Pat McQuaid getting involved; the brilliant efforts of Team BIKE AID and their #rideforafrica jersey initiative; some young guns on Team Amani who will be hoping to show their chops; Africa's newest pro team: Tshenolo Pro Cycling; and finally our picks for the win!The race will be broadcast live on YouTube so make sure you tune in!