And now for some good news...

[Flying_Monkey]

MTN-Qhubeka will become the first ever African pro-continental team from next season. For all the UCI's obsession with China, cycling needs support to develop in places where there are huge reserves of untapped cycling talent - Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi in particular have traditions of cycling despite an almost complete lack of money and opportunity and this team has offered a showcase for these riders. Let's hope this spurs some more cycling development in Africa.

 

[iLB]

Did I read they signed Ciolek?

 

[thom]

Did I read they signed Ciolek?

yep i saw that too

 

[Flying_Monkey]

That's probably one of the things that gave them the necessary points.

 

[Monsieur Remings]

Here here! Thanks for bringing that to our attention FM.

 

[just jim]

Rwanda cycling: The unlikely bike boom (BBC link)

 

[Muguruki]

Good news indeed. As someone who has spent far too much time in east Africa I've always thought that if there were enough affordable road bikes for the locals there would be many a cycling super star coming out of the African continent. I've often envied the strength of some of the bicycle taxi riders that have schlepped me across towns in Uganda on heavy mild steel Chinese made bikes.

Africa Oye!

 

[Flying_Monkey]

Well, Daniel Teklehaymanot from Eritrea did pretty well for Orica-Green Edge in his first pro-Tour season. And there are several potential stars in the MTN line-up from Rwanda and Burundi as well as more from Eritrea.

 

[Buddfox]

Well, Daniel Teklehaymanot from Eritrea did pretty well for Orica-Green Edge in his first pro-Tour season. And there are several potential stars in the MTN line-up from Rwanda and Burundi as well as more from Eritrea.

It's an interesting and positive development. I must confess up until a couple of months ago I couldn't name a cyclist from Africa who wasn't Robbie Hunter. I spotted Teklehaymanot in the Olympic road race and was (embarrassingly enough) surprised to see him doing so well. I just didn't put cycling and Eritrea together. Since then I've seen him doing the hard yards for Orica GreenEdge and hope this development means more to come.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

There's a little bit of history here. Eritrean and Ethiopian cycling is one of the few positive legacies of the Italian colonial occupation of what was then Abyssinia. There is a a Tour of Eritrea which is one of the top African races, and a really tough one at that.

And watch out for this guy, Natnael Behane, who will ride for Europcar next season. A major talent. You heard it here first!

 

[thom]

Rouleur has had a couple of articles on african cycling - issue 28 & 29 on the Tour of Rwanda for example

 

[johnr]

Thanks for the posting. I think we've found our second favourite team.

 

[Muguruki]

I think we would have heard more from Eritrean cyclists but the Eritrean government keeps a close eye on their cyclists and runners as they tend do to slope off and seek asylum while they are out of the country. Didn't a few Eritreans seek asylum after the world champs in Copenhagen last year?

Monkey; You are right about the Italians in Eritrea have you read the book "I Didn't Do It For You: How the World Betrayed a Small African Nation" by Michela Wrong. A fine book I can well recommend mind you I enjoyed everything I've read by Michela Wrong.

Thom: I did see one of those copies of Rouleur about the Rwandan tour in W. H.Smiths, but once I saw the price I put it back on the shelf. Lovely magazine mind!

Just a thought. Does anyone know if qat is on the UCI banned drugs list?

 

[Arsen Gere]

I can't wait for Phil Ligget and Paul Sherwen to do the commentry. They have enough bother with english names.

 

[Flying_Monkey]

The Eritrean government is not amongst the nicest in the world, putting it mildly. I have a colleague who does research on security and surveillance over there and it's best described as an incompetent totalitarian regime...