African cycling: fear of heights
The Burkinabè Paul Daumont, one of the best African hopes.
© La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
Text by: Thomas-Sean de Saint Leger Follow |
Olivier Pron
11 min
No international race contested on the continent between March and the end of November, sponsors more and more cautious, the fear of a new white season and, at the end of the chain, runners who are struggling: at the time of reckoning, " the annus horribilis ”of African cycling risks being expensive, to the point of calling into question a slow and fragile progression.
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It is a brutal, violent brake stroke of those who throw you off your feet and can knock you down.
Between
the Tropicale Amissa Bongo
, in January 2020, and
the Grand Prix Chantal Biya
, 10 months later, Paul Daumont has not run a single race outside his country.
Not a bib pinned on the shorts of this great hope of Burkinabè and African cycling.
"
With the cascading cancellations, it was complicated to keep morale up, to go and train without a goal at the end, without knowing when the competitions would resume,
" the 21-year-old rider told RFI.
Contested at the start of the year, just before the development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two most severe races on the continent, in Gabon and Rwanda, were spared.
The other national tours, in Cameroon, Togo or Burkina Faso, for example, were not so lucky.
"
It is on this kind of races that we usually count to progress, so this stop calls into question the work of several years
", explains Paul Daumont, who points to another problem, economic this time: "
thanks to the bonuses, the competitions allow runners to put butter in the spinach, because the fixed salary
(note: estimated between 75,000 and 150,000 CFA francs per month)
is quite low, so some found themselves faced with a dilemma
:
training while waiting for a possible recovery, or put the cycling career on hold to take a little job because you have to eat well
”.
How many are there on the continent to have stored the bike?
Think about it seriously?
Difficult to say without real hindsight, or announcing "
thunderbolt
" from a big name in the peloton, but it is perhaps a good part of the current generation who sees career dreams nipped in the bud.
Historical selections on the decline
Proof that he did not lose his hand too much, Paul Daumont won two stages of the Grand Prix Chantal Biya in November, but he says the overall level of African teams
"
Fell
".
An observation shared by a "
big brother
" of the peloton, now retired, Damien Tekou: "
Many African selections, such as Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire or Burkina Faso are in a phase of reconstruction, in search of a new impetus, so this stop is a real danger
”, worries the former captain of the Indomitable Lions, who is starting a career as a race marshal.
Responsible for accompanying the riders to the podium of the GP Chantal Biya, he was in the front row to attend the demonstration of the yellow jersey, the Rwandan Moïse Mugisha, easy winner of this recovery race.
The peloton on the tracks of the Tour du Faso.
© Eric Chaurin
This is the other concern born of this pandemic: between runners from countries where cycling is popular, politically and economically supported (Rwanda, Eritrea) and the others, the gap is becoming an abyss.
When in Gabon, for example, cyclists are prohibited from training for health reasons, Rwandans can go out in small groups and compete in local races.
As a result, some progress, others regress or stagnate, and upon arrival an African cycling at two or even three speeds sets in.
"
The beating inflicted by Mugisha and by the Rwandan team in general on runners who started at this level makes me say that we will have to find the right words to motivate these young people, because this kind of slap can discourage, lead some to leave fall
”, explains Damien Tekou, who continues:“
I am worried about the future, because some nations risk no longer believing in their potential, whereas less than 10 years ago, 5 years ago, Cameroon, the Burkina and others had their say in the African peloton
”.
The fear of a new white season
To motivate, words will not suffice, you also need prospects for the future.
In the short term, the horizon is not completely clear, the race calendar still uncertain.
The first big event of the season,
the Tropicale Amissa Bongo
will at best be postponed later in the year.
Other towers, more fragile, are threatened either by the health situation, or by the disengagement of sponsors also affected by the crisis, or by both.
The only reassuring news comes from Rwanda.
There, the pandemic is well managed and the national loop is strong.
"
We are fortunate to have loyal partners, it is less complicated than for certain races which live from day to day
", rejoices Olivier Grandjean, the general coordinator of the event, who nevertheless warns: if
the Tour of Rwanda will start
on February 21, it will be a race "
different from other years, with restrictions on departures and arrivals and a set of measures to ensure the safety of all.
You might as well say it: this time we will probably have to do without the scenes of popular liesses which generally accompany the passage of the peloton on the hilly roads of the Land of a Thousand Hills.
A major popular event, the Tour of Rwanda should take place in 2021, but under special conditions.
© Olivier Pron
Europe, an increasingly vague mirage?
Fewer races - probably - on the continent, it is also less opportunities to catch the eye of a recruiter from a professional team, if possible European.
"
I was counting on the 2020 season to get noticed
", laments the Burkinabè rider Paul Daumont, "
Today, my motivation is increased tenfold, but hey, we have to hope for a more or less normal year
", he says , a little annoyed.
Unfortunately, the economic crisis is also affecting the sponsors of European teams, those who are at the base of the cycling ecosystem.
In this context, it is difficult to be very optimistic: “
I am not so worried about the African riders already installed in the European professional teams.
Some still have a one-year contract, others, like Biniam Girmay (Delko), are linked for several years with their team
, ”explains
L'Équipe
journalist
Philippe Le Gars,“
For those who caught the right wagon in time. , there will no doubt be chances to show up next season and extend the adventure.
For others, it will become very complicated
", continues this connoisseur of international cycling, before concluding:"
Teams in Europe will undoubtedly disappear, others will downsize and will be much less inclined to bet on riders. less well-known, like Africans.
This year can be very expensive for some careers
”.
The 2025 Worlds, a beacon of hope
So what is left to hope for?
A reservoir of talent that has been praised many times, and a generation of young wolves who are
standing
at
the end of the handlebars, with at the head of the pack
the Biniam Girmay diamond
, crowned at 20 years African cyclist of the year, thanks to his performances on the continent, but also on strong European races.
Well positioned on the notebooks of a good number of sports directors who matter, the Eritrean can become the reference, the example to follow in the coming years.
Biniam Girmay in yellow on the 2020 Tour of Rwanda, the Eritrean was voted African cyclist of the year.
© Thomas de Saint Leger
Another reason to believe is the announced holding of the 2025 World Championships on the continent, in Rwanda or in Morocco (the decision must be announced in the fall of 2021).
This great first, desired and carried by the International Cycling Union (UCI), is a beacon that can guide the entire peloton and the African cycling microcosm.
The objective is not only symbolic.
The UCI wants to make it a highlight, with as many local players as possible involved: “
I am optimistic,
” says Laurent Bezault, the “
Mr. Africa
” of the body, “
We are already working in this perspective, with projects training for coaches, organizers, race marshals etc… A maximum number of representatives from the continent, men, women and young people, are also needed at the start of all the events.
Training camps will be organized to detect the talents of tomorrow.
We will then accompany them, with sessions organized in several regions
”
.
So Biniam Gimay crowned in Kigali, or in Rabat, in 2025, under the eyes of the president of the jury of commissioners Damien Tekou?
The road is long, but the journey is worth it.
Report from Rwanda
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