Tokyo 2021: African cycling at the time of the Olympic Games

The peloton of the Tropicale Amissa Bongo during the 15th edition in January 2020. Photo: Gautier Demouveaux / Tropicale Amissa Bongo

Text by: Farid Achache Follow

6 mins

In Tokyo, on Saturday July 24, there will be 11 African runners out of the 130 competitors, representing 7 different nations, to take part in the Olympic road race, like the Burkinabè Paul Domont, or the Algerian Hamza Mansouri.

But on a very demanding course where the competition will be tough, we should not expect miracles from them.

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The presence of African cyclists at the Tokyo Olympics proves once again that the continent also loves cycling, sometimes erected as a national sport, as in Eritrea.

But the challenge promises to be once again very complicated.

Aging in Europe

“ 

If you haven't done the Tour de France, it's impossible to perform. It will already be good to finish the race,

warns Jean-Jacques Henry, trainer at the World Cycling Center of the International Cycling Union (UCI).

Paul Domont, if he manages to do 180 kilometers

(234 kilometers in total),

it will already be quite good. It has potential, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The African championship

(which allows the qualification of a country, editor's note)

has nothing to do with the World Tour level

(first international division, editor's note).

But at the Games, all the continents must be represented, a bit like at the World Championships. Sportingly, to be at the level, it would be necessary to do more races in Europe for young Africans. And then there was the Covid which broke the dynamic, because they did not have access to the competitions. It will still be a great experience for those who will be in the Olympic peloton

 ”.

For several years, African riders have found a place in continental teams (second division) or World Tour (first division), like the Eritrean Merhawi Kudus (Astana), who will have trouble getting into before in Tokyo, while he did not participate in the Big Loop.

As Jean-Jacques Henry points out, " 

the top forty in the standings in Tokyo will all have done the Tour de France, that's almost certain

".

A bit like in Rio in 2016, where the South African Louis Meintjes took a very good seventh place when he finished in 8th place in the general classification of the Tour de France.

The creation of a training center in West Africa

This does not prevent the African continent from developing in terms of cycling. Even if the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down the momentum of very good young runners, like the Rwandan Jean Eric Habimana. “ 

Resurrected by pioneers, kept alive by enthusiasts, African cycling has so far only won the right to survive. Today, he aspires to live quite simply, 

”writes journalist

Frédéric Gassmann

in a book he devotes to the Little Queen on the African continent *.

“ 

The equipment has really changed since 1998 and my first cover of the Tour of Burkina Faso,

says Frédéric Gassmann

. Countries and leaders have realized that there is more to life than football, and cycling deserves the means to continue to grow. We can highlight the endowments of the UCI which wishes to develop cycling and create a training center in West Africa (

like that of Potchefstroom in South Africa, editor's note

). Cycling is a profession that can be learned. The three UCI races on the continent (

Tour of Burkina Faso, Rwanda and Tropical Amissa Bongo in Gabon, editor's note

) still allowed the riders to rub shoulders and observe the European riders.

In 2020, nothing happened because of the

coronavirus pandemic

, we will have to make up for this lost time ”.

Frédéric Gassmann underlines: “ 

I appreciated the courage of all these riders who try to make a level playing field with the European riders during their national Tour and who resist the pressure of their team and the local public.

I am optimistic about the future.

There will be a World Championship in 2025 on the African continent and it will be quite a spotlight

.

"

African cycling, by Frédéric Gassmann © Edition Amalthée

Nicholas Dlamani, first black rider from South Africa in the Tour de France

During the last Tour de France,

Nicholas Dlamani

, the first black rider from South Africa to set off on French roads, fell during the stage which took the peloton to Tignes. The former kid from the slums of Cape Town, who will be in Japan, had wanted to reach the finish line at all costs. Arrived out of time in the gray and cold, at more than 2000 meters of altitude, one hour and 24 minutes after the winner of the day, far from the delays at 37'20 ", the rider of the Qhubeka-Assos formation will not start again the next day, declared out of the race by the jury of commissioners. " 

The support from the fans has been incredible from the start. This is also one of the reasons why I really wanted to finish the race today. I wanted to honor this. race and my team

He admitted.

In 2015, Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot was the first black African rider to compete in the Tour de France since the creation of the event in 1903. He was also the first to wear the best climber's tunic during four stages.

Six years after his exploits, Teklehaimanot is no longer in the peloton.

In Tokyo, others will be on their bikes to continue to pave the way for African cycling.

* African cycling, by Frédéric Gassmann (Amalthée editions)

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• 2020 Olympics

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