The African Road Cycling Championships will be held in Kenya from Thursday to Sunday.
This is the first time in the annual continental championship, now in its 18th edition, is being held in Kenya, adding to the reputation of the country as a destination of major international sports events.
This is an annual continental contest held in Africa involving top African cyclists competing in a series of races, namely individual time trial, team time trial and individual road race for men and women.
The first championships were actually held in 2001 in South Africa and involved a men road race won by South Africa’s Jacques Fullard and men individual time trial won by South Africa’s Simon Kessler.
However, no other such event was held until 2005 when the first championship proper was organised in Egypt where the women’s road race and individual time trials were introduced.
Cyclists from various countries during the launch of the 2024 Confederation of Africa Cycling Road Cycling African Championships in Kapsabet Town on October 8, 2024.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The championships have taken place annually since then, with the men’s under-23 road race and men’s under-23 time trial introduced in 2008, men’s team trial in 2009, women’s team trial in 2013, and mixed team trials in 2021.
Kenya will host the championship in Uasin Gishu county, chiefly around Eldoret, also known as the City of Champions, the name arising from the region's reputation as a producer of world beating athletes, from Wednesday to Sunday.
The edition will feature individual time trial, team time trial mixed relay, and individual road race for men, women, men under-23, women under-23, men junior and women junior.
The road race will see riders cross over to Elgeyo Marakwet county. The event will be marketed and organised by Golazo, a Belgium-based sports management organisation, following an agreement with CAC in April 2023.
Individual time trial: U-23 Women (11km), U-23 Men (22km), Elite Women (22km), Elite Men ( 33km).
Sports Cabinet Secretary Peter Tum cycles during the launch of the 2024 Confederation of Africa Cycling Road Cycling African Championships in Kapsabet town, Nandi County on October 08, 2024.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Road race: Junior Women (66km), Junior Men (100km), Elite Women and U-23 Women (104km), Elite Men and U-23 Men (175km)
Twenty-two have been confirmed including the hosts, giants Eritrea and South Africa, Nigeria, Tunisia, Zimbabwe and Uganda, whose cyclist Charles Kagimu won the men's individual time trial last year in Ghana.
Whereas Eritrean cycling has grown in leaps and bounds with several cyclists from that country making a name on the world tour stage, South Africa remains the best performing nation. South Africans have won eight of the 18 men road races, nine of the 18 men individual time trials, 11 of the 17 women road races and 10 of the 17 women individual time trials.
Eritrea are a close second, dominating the men team trial with 10 of the 13 titles won thus far.
This one is a bit tricky to tell for the men. Daniel Teklehaimanot, the first Eritrean to ride in the Vuelta a Espana, won five golds in 2020 -- elite men’s road race, U-23 road race, elite men’s individual time trial, U-23 individual time trial and team trial, an unprecedented feat. Teklehaimanot also won four consecutive elite men’s individual time trials from 2009 to 2013.
His compatriot, Grand Tour rider Natnael Berhane, won double, two consecutive men’s road races and men’s under-23 road races in 2011-2012. Another Eritrean man Henok Mulubrhan also achieved double wins -- in the men's road race and U-23 road race, in 2022 and 2023.
For the women, there is no doubt that it is South African former professional Ashleigh Moolman who won an astonishing four consecutive elite road races from 2011 to 2015. The chemical engineering graduate won the 2014 Commonwealth Games women’s road race bronze medal to illustrate her dominant form during this period.
No Kenyan has finished on the podium or indeed featured amongst the leading riders. At last year’s championships held in Ghana, Kenya did not field a single rider in the men's events while the country’s hottest talent now, Nancy Akinyi, finished 28th in the women’s road race. Grace Kabiru has shown promise and will be an athlete to watch in the women's under-23 category.
So, what is the big deal with this race?
There is the prize money and continental titles at sake of course. Additionally, as with national road race championships and the UCI Road World Championships, the winners can wear the African Champion’s jersey when appearing in other races throughout the season.
According to the event’s official website “this African jersey should include and embrace the African values”.
