From Biniam Girmay's brilliance to the BMX boom in South Africa: The story behind Africa's growth as a cycling continent

“African riders have something exciting. A new flavour, a new style, a new hope in cycling.”

Those were the words of Alec Lenferna of the KZN Cycling Development Camp in South Africa when interviewed for Olympics.com series “African Cycling Revolution” back in 2017.

The years since have proved him right. Sub Saharan athletes are now making their presence felt at all the world’s major cycling events, from Grand Tours to the Olympics.

The pinnacle to date came on 17 May 2022, when Biniam Girmay of Eritrea became the first black African athlete to win a Grand Tour stage, at the Giro d’Italia.

Ahead of the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, we take a closer look at the reasons behind they cycling boom in Africa, the athletes that have become role models, and how cultural stereotypes are being broken.

ALSO READ: Biniam Girmay Q&A: We believe we can do it

Infrastructure issues

On issue that stunts Africa's growth in cycling is it's infrastructure.

"It’s very difficult to organise a cycling race in Senegal because it’s expensive and we’re lacking an ambulance," Fédération Sénégalaise de Cyclisme President Papa Fate Faye told Olympics.com at the Dakar en Jeux sports festival in October 2022.

"But we organise two races per month, one every two weeks for the moment, while we wait for better ressources."

That resourcesfulness, and the undeniable thirst for sport in the country, are key reasons that cycling has still been able to flourish on the continent.

"You just feel the love and the energy that people in Senegal have for all things lifestyle outside. The outdoor lifestyle is key," Chair of the Dakar 2026 Coordination Commission Kirsty Coventry added.

"Senegal will be able to showcase what we as Africa are made of, the love that the people have for each other, the unity, the love that we have to showcase our beautiful countries.

Cycling 'came to represent a fight against colonialism'

Competitive cycling then arrived on Africa's shores through European colonisers like Great Britain, Italy, and Belgium, where the sport enjoyed immense popularity.

“Sport is a form of competitive struggle,” two-time Eritrean Olympic cyclist Yemane Negassi told Olympics.com.

“In terms of competitive cycling, 'Berbers' competed against the Italians, and it came to represent a fight against colonialism at that critical time.”

Since gaining independence, that passion has grown into professionalism and Eritrean cyclists have thrived.

At London 2012, Daniel Teklehaimanot became the first Eritrean to compete in another sport at the Olympics other than athletics, while also making his nation’s debut at the Vuelta Espana.

The Debesay family also made history, after Mekseb and his sister Mosana were crowned African champions in the elite men’s and women’s individual time trial respectively in 2018 - an unprecedented feat for siblings.

But Girmay’s astonishing results in 2022 against the best in the world took Eritrean - and African - cycling to a whole new level.

Creating the first all-black women's professional cycling team

In this way, cycling became very popular in colonised nations like Eritrea, South Africa, Eswatini, Namibia, and Rwanda.

But it was only men that benefitted.

In fact, i wasn't so long ago that the continent's only professional women’s cyclists were from South Africa. But through the work of new regional sports adminitrators, that has started to change.

“Typically the culture in Africa is that women don’t ride bikes,” Kimberly Coats, Director of Marketing and Logistics for Team Africa Rising told Olympics.com.

“Our goal, our vision is to field the first all-black women’s professional cycling team.”

“Rwanda is just beginning in cycling. We’ve learned a lot in the past couple of years, had some success and Rwanda can be the catalyst for more and more African countries to get involved.”

Coats’ cause was spearheaded by Rwanda’s first female professional cyclist Jeanne D'arc Girubuntu.

The 23-year-old became the national time trial champion in 2014, empowering females across the nation to change the way the world looks at Rwanda, and how Rwandans look at themselves.

“I want to show all the women in Africa—the poor, black women—that we too can race bikes, be successful, and make money,” Jeanne told ESPN in 2016.

The rise of Rwanda as a cycling nation was also recognised in 2021 by the UCI (International Cycling Union), who awarded the country's capital Kigali with the organisation of the 2025 Road World Championships.

It is a similar story in neighbouring Ethiopia.

Despite never being colonised, the sport has become very popular in the country.

But the development of women’s cycling was been stunted by certain cultural factors.

“In the past there were women cyclists but they didn’t receive enough support for training,” national team cyclist Tsega Gebre told Olympics.com.

“But now it is improving because the community supports us.”

The sport has become so popular, in fact, that the Tour Meles - which takes in most of the East African country - has attracted riders from foreign nations, keen to test themselves on gruelling 2,400-2,800m altitude routes.

“The Tour Meles is a big thing, we Eithopians, especially in Tigray, like cycling so much. This tour will introduce our country to the world," Nugusie Gebrehans, the Ethiopia national team coach continued.

“It’s a great place to train that could become the biggest race on the African calendar.”

Kenya inspired by Chris Froome

Cycling is also on the rise for Ethiopia's long-time sporting rivals Kenya, where the sport is starting to compete with the nation's favourite pastime of distance running.

While athletics’ prestige in the East African country isn’t under threat yet, many young athletes here became inspired to cycle after seeing Chris Froome become one of the GOATS.

Froome was born in Nairobi, Kenya, and won two world championships bronze medals competing for his birth nation.

As the son of British expatriates, the fluent Swahili speaker went on to win two road cycling Olympic bronze medals for Team GB, four Tour de France titles, one Giro d’Italia, and a Vuelta a España.

Young lives transformed by BMX in South Africa

Africa’s cycling boom is anything but restricted to road cycling.

In South Africa, the BMX scene has literally taken off at Velokhaya.

“We in Africa are just as good as anyone else around the world,” KZN Cycling Development Camp trainer Alec Lenferna continued to Olympics.com

“We want to transform the sport,so we’ve got programmes running at the moment, to introduce as many kids as possible to the sport.

“We’re designing our structures to make sure that there’s equal opportunity, and we have to think of new ways as we don’t have big budgets.

“It’s about creating as wide a base as we possibly can of young kids, so that in 10 or 15 years we will have 5-6 top south african riders that can go to a world championships or an Olympics and compete.”

One such product is former South African youth BMX champion Wanga Moshani.

After seeing compatriot Sifiso Nhlapo compete at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics, the young racer became inspired to improve his own life through sport.

“I started when I was nine and I’m now 18 and in 2013 I won the national championships. It’s a way to stay away from crime,” Moshani told Olympics.com.

“My bike is like my family or my friend. I call it “Umtshini” (Machine); but living in the township there’s a chance it can be stolen.

“I don’t come from a rich family but I’ve been on an aeroplane thanks to Velokhaya and I’ve slept in hotels that I never imagined I would. So I'm very grateful.

“In the future I want to be racing other BMX pros, and I want to race at the Olympics representing South Africa.”

Eritrea’s Mosana Debesay became the first female black cyclist to compete at the Olympics at Tokyo 2020, in 2021.

These achievements have seen her become a role model on the continent, creating societal change that goes far beyond the confines of sport.

“Cycling has a long history in Africa, that even continued during wars and hard times,” she told Olympics.com.

“In our culture girls are not encouraged to cycle and encouraged to stay at home. It has negative connotations and has affected participation. Even our family has received negative comments for my cycling.

“But in the end, victory demands great sacrifice and commitment. When you struggle, you can’t give up and you have to keep going.”

The cycling revolution in Africa is just getting started, and it’s here to stay.