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This is Africa's World Championship.
This is going to impact from south to north and from east to west.
The World Championship is in Rwanda this year.
It's pivotal. It could go either way.
The goal is to use the World Championships in Africa
as a real opportunity to go for the rainbow jersey.
I would like to be the next Biniam, because he's that type of guy.
Everyone is looking at Africa.
The history maker, Biniam Girmay, the rising star of Africa.
You made history, you made history.
You know for Africa, you know it, Binnie.
The goal was not to bring,
I would say our peloton to Africa and to be back,
the goal was clearly to have this championship in Africa,
but for Africa.
And on to the Mur de Kigali.
It's a cobbled classic job this, in the heart of Africa.
Stay calm, stay safe. People will be able to frame it.
The future of African cycling isn't coming. It's already here.
It'll put Africa on the map.
Good morning, Kigali. It's 6:00 a.m.
The sun is rising over the land of a thousand hills,
and it is a very special day today.
The UCI is expected to formally announce Rwanda
as the host of the 2025 Road World Cycling Championships.
First and foremost, I'm proud that the World Championships
will come to Kigali in Africa.
First time, I think it's a very, very big feat.
Now, 2025 will be the year of cycling in Africa.
The 2025 World Road Cycling Championships
will be held in Rwanda.
All other continents have already hosted
the Road World Championships except Africa.
Yes, African coffee, African tea.
Put well water in the bottle. Aren't you going to the club house?
I am going.
Are you going to mingle posho?
-No, this water is for a shower. -Is it good for you?
-To shower with hot water? -Yes, why not?
My name is Nantume Miria, from Uganda.
Cyclist from Masaka Cycling Club.
I started cycling in 2020.
The reason why my mother took me to cycling was
because by then I had many groups.
She was scared that I'll get spoiled.
She didn't like the sport, but took me to the sport just to take time,
not to be in bad peer groups.
That's how I started cycling.
I asked her if she could really manage doing it being a girl.
Those from her paternal side, had refused to let her cycle,
claiming girls do not ride bicycles.
But as a mother, when I learned it was her passion,
I allowed her to go and try.
It was so amazing that when she went, she was even being paid.
She started bringing money home.
We use this money to take care of the home.
All of us started loving cycling. Even those who didn't like it.
Miria came to South Africa and we recognized her as a talent
through Masaka Cycling Club in the Uganda Cycling Association.
Where I have brought you is where I usually come for my recoveries.
Maybe when I'm sad at times, I come here, I just listen to the nature.
I just feel the vibes of the nature.
Like now, I just feel it. Everything is good.
I don't have any stress.
I'm just looking at the plants, at the sunset,
listening to the cow's voice.
Everything is good.
Hi, I am JP Van Zyl.
I'm a fan of African cycling
and I work for the World Cycling Center in Switzerland
doing the development on the African continent.
Owen and his team told me Miria's really talented,
that she needs to deserve a place
to come to the training camp in Paarl, in South Africa.
We did that prior to the Africa Championships in Kenya.
She didn't get tired. She was very motivated.
She grabbed this opportunity.
You can see the athletes that are just... when they have this epiphany,
"Oh, wow, I belong here. I'm getting better. I want to learn more."
They're like a sponge. They want information.
I want those people to see me, what I have achieved.
They bring their children in cycling and they also get inspired from me.
That is keeping me going.
Like when I think about that, I just go,
they need to see me and then they come in cycling.
The goal this year is to participate in World Championship.
The South African coming home for you right now
at the end of a long run.
But Moolman Pasio for SD Worx here opens up the...
Here's Ashleigh Moolman Pasio now going clear...
Woman cyclist, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
has walked away with the biggest accolade.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio for the longest time
has been the sole flag bearer for African women's cycling.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio continues to represent
local cycling with distinction.
Moolman pulls out again, Moolman going all the way.
It's Ashleigh Moolman Pasio who takes the World Champion's Jersey.
My name is Ashleigh Moolman Pasio. I'm South African
and I'm currently riding for the AG Insurance Soudal World Tour Team.
I used to play with my friends in the streets, riding our bikes.
But while I was at school, cycling was not a career path
or it's not even something that I even imagined,
you know, in South Africa at the time,
I was involved in traditional school sports,
which is, like, field hockey or athletics, tennis.
I went to university to study chemical engineering,
and it was at university that I met my husband Carl.
From the very first moment, actually, Carl,
immediately noticed my potential as a cyclist,
because all of a sudden, my small, petite size,
but my strength, came together, in terms of power to weight.
Step by step, it became very clear that
cycling was a talent and something that I should pursue.
I came over the next year to ride in Europe,
but on no salary when I started, which was in 2010.
I mean, salaries weren't even possible in women's cycling.
So, the only way I could make it was, yeah, was by riding for a local team.
Riding throughout the year.
So when off season happened in Europe, I went back to South Africa,
to compete for the local team who was paying me a small salary.
It's absolutely impossible to stand a chance of a top result
if you're not racing in Europe
amongst the best cyclists in the world.
It didn't come without its challenges, its heartaches, tears.
In the first year as a professional cyclist,
I broke my collarbone three times in the space of 12 months.
It didn't come easy to her.
She had to overcome
a lot of the obstacles that African cyclists still face today,
but she did not give up.
Ashleigh wants her career to mean more than just herself.
She understands what she achieves can mean something else for someone else.
So I think after 15 years of going to world champs,
this is potentially your last smash at a world title.
Yeah, and I mean, you should feel confident about it.
Yeah, I feel a lot of confidence.
I've done the preparation. I know the fitness is there.
I know the course is well suited to me. I've ridden the course myself.
I know what it's like in Rwanda.
There's going to be the energy of Africa, there's a lot of positives,
but I think what I do also need to be cognizant of
is not to go back to that sort of "big weight on your shoulders",
type of situation where I don't really respond very well.
Like, yes, it's my last crack at a world title,
but I've also gotta go out there and just have fun and enjoy the race.
We've seen you do that in Africa multiple times.
That's what brings results at the end of the day.
Yeah.
I love Africa and I just love the energy of the people.
I really can't wait to be there and race in front of an African crowd.
It's gonna be so cool.
-Well, let's go there and fire. -Yep, I'm excited.
To win a world title or an Olympic Games is really a challenge
when you come from countries outside of Europe.
Being a world champion was something that I almost let go of,
and I have become one of the best in the world.
I believe that the World Championships in Rwanda
is a turning point for African cycling.
However, it's only the start point
because it's going to be the event
that shows the world,
what African cycling is all about.
It's going to be interesting because with the Championships in Rwanda,
do we need more racing in Africa
or do we need to get more Africans to the racing in Europe?
We've asked the question so many times and here he comes.
Is he gonna make it?
She defends the rainbow jersey in absolute fashion.
Perfection.
Now the home stretch and the favorite Eddy Merckx
wins by only half a wheel. Merckx becomes world champ.
And these are Pog's worlds.
Tadej Pogacar and the rainbow jersey, the perfect fit.
I'm David Lappartient,
the president of the UCI, Union Cycliste Internationale.
The UCI has been created in April 1900.
The World Championships for cycling on the road, were born in 1921.
It's a very specific race.
You have the jersey and the jersey is something unique.
We are the only sport with a jersey.
The rainbow jersey is the pinnacle of the sport, really.
It's the one jersey that everybody,
recognizes and aspires to wear those rainbow stripes.
It's a dream for a rider to wear this jersey.
All the top riders, they want to wear it,
and that's something that will make the championship unique.
They all think, there is no ear pieces,
so you need to feel the race yourself.
It's by nation. This is only one race in the year.
It's on a circuit. So, we have to crown one of the top riders.
The World Championships are the World Championships.
We've never been to Africa.
We are working with so many nations here in Africa
to enlarge cycling, to make cycling one of the most popular sports
within the continent.
And yes, we also need to have this event
to showcase a little bit, cycling in Africa to the world
and they will see the passion here for cycling.
I'm Chris Froome, four times winner of the Tour de France.
I was born in Kenya. Born in east Africa.
I think we need many more races on the African continent
like the tour of Rwanda.
It's probably the best opportunity
for African cyclists to race against Europeans.
The key actors are Rwanda because they have the most important race,
Tour of Rwanda, and they host the World Championship.
My name is Nelly Mukazayire. I'm the Minister of sports.
I'll say we started with a humble beginning
and Tour de Rwanda got elevated to 2.1,
which was good, but also more challenging.
This is a special day for us.
This edition of Tour de Rwanda is going also to be on another level
because it's going to bring a greater significance
as we build up to the UCI 2025 Road World Championship.
I have a written speech,
but I think I will not follow my speech
and I will just speak with my heart
because today it's a great day for the UCI.
After 125 years, we will celebrate our 125 years anniversary
on the 14th of April this year.
So to celebrate our birthday
we decided to come here in Rwanda.
I remember my first meeting with President Kagame.
At the time it was the bid to organize the 2025
UCI Cycling World Championships, and the President was clear.
For him, he wanted to have a legacy, of course, to welcome the event,
because it's a cycling nation, but clearly to have a legacy.
Africa deserves to have the championship.
It's also going to be the platform for Africa to launch itself
as a serious contender for big races like the Tour de Rwanda.
Having such a tour in Rwanda is very helpful for any organization,
I think in the world, to really get the feel,
and the requirements for the championship in September.
Kigali has for years shown that they can host world class events.
Now, that's not to say that this World Championships
won't be without its obstacles.
There will be teething issues.
There will be challenges
compared to a first world country like Switzerland
or Australia hosting the World Championships.
The roots of cycling are clearly in Europe
and more specifically
in Belgium, France, Italy, Netherlands and Spain, probably.
So there is probably a lack of diversity, but we are working on it.
Cycling's roots in Africa started through colonial influence.
You've got countries like Eritrea
that is probably the most passionate cycling nation on this continent.
They were colonized by the Italians.
South Africa's cycling journey started early on
even though it was segregated under apartheid
and that was through British and Dutch colonialism.
And then you had countries like Morocco and Algeria.
They've had a long cycling legacy through their connection with France.
Cycling there wasn't necessarily seen as a sport.
It's not a sport, it's a transport.
If you look at a country like South Africa, for example,
I think it's a lot more advanced than a lot of the other countries.
It's an actual sport that people take part in.
Whereas through other parts of Africa,
you may have literally one or two events a year.
It's been a incredible journey of endearment.
I think back then there was only 14 national federations,
and today we have 54.
Let's not fool each other. It didn't happen last year.
Didn't happen the year before.
This, where we are today,
is because of the predecessors and what they did before.
If you put things in context, we are a country,
which is only 30 years old, after the genocide against the Tutsi.
So there's a path we had to go through to build the nation.
Rwanda's cycling story is one of the most compelling
and inspiring stories out of Africa.
It's one that is born out of trauma, resilience,
and the transformative power of sports.
My name is Jamie Bissel
and I moved to Rwanda in October of 2013
to start as the mechanic for the national team.
The origin story is, as I understand it, as it goes back to Tom Ritchie.
Tom Ritchie came over and started the coffee bike program,
but he had seen everybody...
There was already a cycling culture, they were pushing bicycles.
They were moving potatoes, carrots.
These were old people that were using the bicycle as a tool,
and he looked around and said, there's potential here.
So Jonathan Boyer came in 2007
and kind of converted the project over from being
the Rwandan coffee bike project to Team Rwanda.
And that's when I came in. We were at the end of that time.
They literally moved to the country to support these young athletes
who had a hunger for cycling and a dream.
They had what they called the Original Five.
My name is Uwimana Rafiki Jean de Dieu.
I'm a former cyclist,
and now I work as bike mechanic and bike tour guide.
Hi, I'm Adrien Niyonshuti. I'm from Rwanda, former pro cyclist.
In the beginning it was "Project Rwanda"
and after "Project Rwanda" become "Team Rwanda"
after "Team Rwanda" and it become "Africa Rising".
End of 2006, I have a chance I meet Jock Boyer,
Our coach, Jonathan Boyer, he tested many riders,
so I was very surprised to be in top five.
From there, just like, you know, everything opened on my eye
and I start believing I can become a professional.
I remember, I always asked Jock Boyer,
"you going to leave us and go back to USA" and Jock, he say,
"No, Adrien, I'll be here until you guys achieve your goal".
We did a good job to put the country to the world map.
Adrien Niyonshuti is a remarkable human being,
and he's someone who lost six of his brothers during the genocide,
and Adrien went on to become an Olympian and a world tour cyclist.
The highest level of cycling.
I think Rwanda Cycling and the World Championships,
that's where it started.
The 2025 UCI Road World Championships coming to Kigali, Rwanda
is a direct correlation to the work that people like Jock Boyer
and Kimberly Coats did with Team Rwanda.
I don't think if it was for the groundwork they did 20 years ago,
we would be where we are today.
There are over 100 African cyclists across genders,
racing at different levels of professional cycling.
Biniam Girmay is the role model for African cycling today.
But Girmay is gonna hold off Mathieu Van Der Poel, and he makes history!
The history maker, the Eritrean, the Rising Star of Africa,
a brilliant ride from Biniam Girmay.
Yes, if we were
to talk about the past history honestly,
they weren't many Black Africans that compete and win.
We only participated but now to have victories, in World Tour Races,
especially in Classic for me.
It gives me great pride because it's the first time
that Black Africans are winning in Grand Tour and Classics.
I hope that what I have accomplished till now will inspire Black Africans
and grow their numbers.
At this stage, I hope to be an example,
for future riders.
Because I think the future
of African cycling is bright,
and everyone loves it
from the bottom of their heart.
I think about my success that has come,
or what I have accomplished at the moment.
It will have a huge impact.
I would like to be the next Biniam
because he's that type of guy everyone is looking at now in Africa.
He is the role model for the boys. I want to be Biniam for the girls.
He's n a perfect position to try and win this stage.
Oliver Naesen starts to open up the sprint for the team of Decathlon...
Girmay is there.
Right on the wheel is Mads Pederson and it is right in the center.
Mads Pedersen, Pedersen, Girmay. Biniam Girmay!
Biniam Girmay wins his first stage of the Tour de France for Eritrea!
All the Eritreans and Africans, we must be proud.
Now we are really part of the big races
and then we success a lot of victories.
So now it's our moment, it's our time.
Biniam Girmay winning three stages and the green jersey, it's amazing.
Even more with the first Road World Championships
in Black Africa coming in Rwanda in September.
So naturally, it's not like,
"What if, maybe, that cycling will grow in Africa?"
We have an exceptional champion.
I think Biniam continues the legacy.
He now creates a possibility for young Africans to dream,
to know that it is possible to win a jersey
and be on the podium at the Tour de France.
- Miria, it's JP. -Yes, sir.
Oh, nice to hear from you, coach. Hello.
Do you have a minute? I have some good news.
Yes, I have a minute.
Miria, after the training camp in South Africa,
the way that you were dedicated,
the way that you performed,
the way that you showed your discipline,
and especially after the Kenyan Championships, Africa Championships.
With your performance,
we decided to select you as part of the Africa 2025 UCI training camp.
We will be going to Kigali and we'll also be going to Brittany in France
to prepare for the Kigali World Championships.
Those are the best news I have ever received.
I don't know, right now, I feel like I want to cry.
I don't know whether I'm feeling, whether this feeling is real,
whether I should be sad or happy, because I've never expected this.
-This is a dream come true. - Miria, dreams come true.
There are so many barriers
and obstacles to African cyclists making it at the top level.
I think one of the obvious ones is visa, which limits your travel,
depending on the opportunities that you have.
On my side, compared to other cyclists in Uganda,
they might get difficulty getting their visa
and it was fair now that I got my visa though it wasn't in time,
but I managed to get it, like, but other cyclists,
it takes, like, four months, three months.
I pray that you reach well.
I think they're starting to know what cycling is in Africa.
And two years after this, Africa is going to be shining in cycling.
It's a very, very big step in life and I think every cyclist likes this,
to be in France.
I'm going to learn, but once I learn, I'll bring back to the country.
The big difference training or preparing for competition
and even racing in Europe is that, yeah, cycling is a culture here.
It's much safer and that just means that as a woman you can,
you have the independence to train or to practice your profession.
Cycling was life changing.
It really helped me to become a more confident woman.
But then coming to Europe was where it was the real ticket to freedom.
It's quite a big shift.
You're leaving your home country, your continent, your family.
I was nobody, although I was the best cyclist in South Africa
the best cyclist in Africa at the time, I had to find my own way.
At that time, it meant not being afraid, it meant taking risks.
For many years, I was the flag bearer
and the example to South Africa and to the whole continent of Africa.
And now we have Kim.
And I was given a call by the team owner
and the boss at AG Insurance said,
"Ask Ashleigh what she thinks.
If she thinks Kim is worth the investment,
we will put her on the team".
And I said yes, "Kim has a mind for racing".
But I do hope that...
I know, for example, that what I've done over the years
has allowed Kim to be where she is today
and to be able to realize her dream.
They don't even have a budget for plane tickets.
It's a continental team that can participate in Étoile de Besseges,
races like that.
But they don't have the money.
If they teams like those have good bikes and equipment,
everything's possible.
The gap is the money. Cycling, it's like Formula 1.
In F1, if you don't have money, you don't do nothing.
On the bike, it's the same.
We don't understand it because for us, life is easy,
we are so used to it.
Equipment to me is number one.
Number one, I think cycling is... it's not perfect,
but yeah, I'll say I think it's actually doing a half decent job.
Cycling's expensive. You need more than shoes and a few basic things.
I mean, we all know a top end Tour de France bike now is 15,000€.
So considering the cost of entry, I mean, that's expensive for anybody.
That's expensive for an African or a European, American,
it doesn't matter.
My disc broke, but there no... my derailleur.
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. That's fine.
But I didn't know that your derailleur had gone
or I would've brought you one.
We'll sort it out for you.
But yeah, I'll ask Sean in the meantime...
-If I can borrow one. -Yeah, exactly.
If he's got one in country that you can borrow and...
-Because we bought extra handles. -Yeah.
-We bought three extra handles. -Perfect, good. All right.
I'll message Sean, I'm sure he's sleeping,
so I'll hit him when he gets up. Ask him if he's got anything.
'cause we'll see if we can get you a spare.
Parts are the biggest thing. We go through them. It's normal.
Teams in Europe struggle with that sometimes
to get enough of what they need.
And that's what we struggle with here,
and I think communicating that understanding
to the people that need to hear it.
Because for 15 years I've been hearing,
"Yes, but we bought some new bikes."
"Did you buy parts? We also need parts for the bikes."
In a country like Rwanda, it's difficult to get things like Shimano,
SRAM, wheels, these things. It's difficult.
We talked about earlier with Jonathan,
we were talking with him, he's broken his 105-rear derailleur.
If we're lucky, we'll get one to him in maybe a couple of months.
If we're lucky. And that's pretty fast.
Can you imagine if we said that to somebody in,
Germany, France or whatever, they'll go to the bike shop.
And worst case they buy it, it's no problem.
-Will you race in the Tour de France? -Yes.
And you will win too, right? Anyway...
What are you chewing?
Miria, give me some mangoes!
Do you know how to grow mangoes, Immaculate?
My mangoes are all sweet!
My name is Miiro Michael, the founder and chairman Masaka Cycling Club.
Masaka Cycling Club is found in Central Uganda, Masaka City.
And this club started a program,
cycling development program, six years ago.
And we used to organize these black mamba races every weekend
and they were just for fun.
But later on we developed
and we saw we need to a generation of young cyclists coming up.
So six years ago we started up this program
and currently we have 50 young cyclists that are starting from zero
and the community is looking at them.
And not only in cycling,
but how it has also transformed these young persons in the community.
Okay, guys, I thank you for everything.
I thank you for the time you've given to me
to explain some of the things I learned
and share it with you.
What I want you guys to know, you are boys and we are girls,
so we need help from you people
because you are the people who are inspiring us.
But once you leave us behind, we are going to leave the sport.
And maybe I'm spoiled.
My mother, they think my mother gave me a lot of freedom,
gave me a lot of freedom whereby she allowed me to join cycling.
They're saying your mother is a fool, and I hate that.
Cycling can still largely be seen as a man's sport
in a lot of communities.
Women can face harassment, they can face shame.
They can even face restrictions
with regards to riding a bike from families in their own homes.
This results in a lot of girls giving up.
Similar to the men as well.
There aren't clear pathways, but women often have less prize money
and a less clear way of earning a living out of this sport.
As a club, we've tried our best to close the gap of gender equality.
Let me give you an example.
A mother comes with a daughter who is 14 years to the club,
and then the mother says, "I want my daughter to be registered
to cycle with your club". I say, "why?"
"Because I've seen boys racing
and I think my daughter can be better than them."
So Miria comes at the age of 14. Now Miria is 18.
Four years down the road, we are seeing amazing things happening.
Maria was the first female Ugandan to represent Uganda
in the African Continental Championship.
And guess what? She was on the podium.
She has been in Rwanda, and in Burundi,
she has been in Kenya, and every day
Miria is progressing.
So we see that if you give a girl a chance in life, things can change.
Brands like Zwift and other indoor training platforms
have become a great place
for particularly women to ride in a safe environment.
It's also a great talent identifier. Obviously, there are limitations.
You know, it doesn't replace riding on the road and particularly
where the highest level of cycling is still based in Europe,
it's still Eurocentric.
There's the culture shock of going to Europe, especially the first time,
particularly if you have to stay there for a prolonged period.
Athletes have to deal with homesickness,
not seeing their family,
and take part in a sport that is already brutal on its own.
What I'm looking forward to in this training camp in Europe,
first of all, I'm very excited. You know, it's gonna be my first time,
I'm going to ride with those people, the pros,
other cyclists are going to France and I'm going to get exposed.
I'm going to leave my family behind,
but what I am going to be is racing for my goal.
Once I achieve it, they'll be happy, of course.
Now what I'm looking forward is to get a team, first of all,
and to absorb all the training they are going to be giving to me,
so that I perform well in the World Championship.
We're into the final few hundred meters.
The lead group is strung out as they battle for every last inch.
And just behind them, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is digging deeper.
It looks like it won't be her year for the podium.
I've broken my back. And with promising talent coming through.
I missed out on all of my goals last year.
It's been a really challenging period.
Yeah, last year, I had a very big injury with breaking my back
and it's been a challenge coming back.
Yeah, I mean, I've had the fighting spirit and the determination,
but there's been plenty of bumps along the road.
Liege-Bastogne-Liege was, yeah, a very frustrating race for me
and a very disappointing race.
But at the same time, it was a historical and very big achievement,
you know, for my teammate Kim, and for my team.
We were ready to show up and we had a great race plan
and I was a big part of that plan. In a snap of the fingers,
you just see it all slipping out of your hand.
I had to stop the race because, yeah, I was getting sick,
there was no reason to continue. I felt that I disappointed my team,
and then I got onto the bus and I noticed that Kim,
that she was also not in the front of the race and I felt so deflated.
And then just out of nowhere, it all just changed.
Kim Le Court must time this one.
The sprint opens up, 200 meters to go.
Kim Le Court down the center. Kim Le Court and Puck Pieterse.
It looks like it's gonna come down to between those.
Kim Le Court pulls clear.
Kim Le Court sits up and celebrates
for AG Insurance Soudal!
The first African to ever win a monument.
So it was a real rollercoaster for me, obviously with the challenges
I've been facing in the early part of the year.
Coming back from the injury,
I really put Ardennes Classic as my first goal.
I really had to find the balance inside myself,
you know, of being disappointed
and frustrated and a bit angry at myself,
but then also being really happy for Kim and for the team.
You can run, for example, in Kenya, in countries, in Ethiopia,
and you can go immediately to ride a marathon.
In cycling, you can't be a champion just by training.
It's possible in other sports. It's impossible in road cycling
because you need to compete,
you need to learn how to put yourself in a peloton,
how to be protected by the wind. To do this, unfortunately,
I would say you have to come to Europe
because this is where you have most of the races.
This is where you will learn. And, of course, for African riders,
they have then to travel. And, by the way, it's more difficult.
We have caused restrictions and so on.
David Lappartient, he had the vision to create a team from Africa,
which we call the Africa 2025 team.
And that's how you create opportunities.
You take them to Brittany, you expose them to the local club racing.
And the good thing about the system in France
is that they have so many different levels
that once you prove yourself in the first level,
you can go to the next level. So that's exactly what we need.
Grassroots plays an incredible role in developing African athletes.
I believe somewhere in Africa, we have the next Chris Froome,
the next Biniam Girmay, the next Ashleigh Moolman Pasio.
They are there, waiting to be discovered.
We have a Tour de France winner somewhere in Africa,
but on a practical level, in order to get that,
you need grassroots initiatives.
You need to start with 10,000 athletes
where 1000 of them will have talent.
100 might make it to the pro ranks,
and ten might become the best in the world.
If we look ahead ten years, there should be two or three African riders
in the Tour de France, if the work is done properly.
But now, there's a real cultural effort to be made.
These are great riders, but they lack international exposure.
Top-level sport is becoming less and less virtuous,
and I believe Africa, for cycling, requires humility and support.
And that's what makes it so exciting,
because it feels like we're actually doing something meaningful.
When I got my visa, I was kind of surprised.
How can I get this visa? This took just two weeks.
I got the visa because they said,
if I didn't apply in March... In Feb?
No, in March, I did in March,
the next appointment will be in August.
In my mind, everything, I'm like, "If you don't go to France,
you don't cycle. You don't do cycling. Just quit.
If you don't get visa, just quit. If you don't get visa, just quit."
Even my mother kept on telling me, "If you don't get visa, just quit."
Because when you go to France,
that's when you know where you are in cycling.
Where am I so far with these European girls?
My racing skills, my training? Where am I?
Europe, obviously, it is the best in cycling
and sports all over the world. It's the best.
The most challenge I got in Europe is the weather.
The roads are small, keeping right, the food,
the language, and those are the most challenges I got.
We go in the car!
It's not an issue, it's more the positioning in the peloton.
Because when you are not used to being in a peloton of 20 riders
and then a peloton of 50 to 100 riders, it's completely different.
For sprint, it's 20 seconds for sprint, 20 seconds you sprint.
-You, when I look. -Sprint?
-No sprint and not 20 seconds. -What?
It's because we are just imagining,
because we don't have it on the Garmin.
-We don't have two days of training. -We fought a lot.
You really need to do a good sprint. Good sprint.
Position at sprint, I speak to you last day, you remember?
Yes. I used it today.
Some girls, they arrived here two weeks back.
Me, I arrived two weeks after them.
So I was like, "Me, I'm late. I'm not going to catch up with the girls."
But now, the confidence is good.
My first feeling was, of course, a bit scary.
I didn't know what I'm going to find. New people, new language,
new food, new sleep, new word, new work, new weather. Everything.
Now, you speak Arabic. Rwanda, me, I can't speak with you, guys.
I miss my language.
How are people going to be looking at me, the Black person in Europe?
How is it going to be? Scared? Like, I'm scared of everything.
Mostly the people.
I start to feel like it's scared.
Like it's the first time to go far from my house,
and I would take long, long, long time.
And this, it's give me like a fear.
But after this, I enjoy it and I get used to it.
My goal is not to win the World Championship.
-I don't have that in mind. -Right.
I just have things that ring in me.
"You have to finish the World Championship."
Once I finish the goal, done, everything good.
And maybe I see myself close to the dreams
because you see, like Biniam Girmay,
his way is like this. He started UCI.
No, he started local team, UCI, now pro, now win.
Big news in the cycling world.
South African star, Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
could miss what was meant to be her final Tour de France Femmes.
Despite a determined comeback from injury
and wearing the green jersey in 2023,
reports suggest AG Insurance Soudal may leave her out of their squad.
I'm not going to be racing the Tour de France.
And, you know, this is... it's a real big blow to me
because it's not just a bike race, really,
it's part of everything I've fought for all of my career.
I'm showing all the right signs of standing up for the team values
and the collective, and building the team, and I'm being left out?
Rwanda is my last shot at the world title.
I think all of the years of preparation, hard work,
all the challenges I've had to overcome
has created a really big fire inside my belly.
And I think there'll have to be a lot that stops me from achieving
the result that I'm after. And this time, I'm going all in.
If I have to do it on my own, I'm going to do my absolute best
to do it on my own and to win that rainbow jersey
for South Africa and for Africa.
What I'll do is, I'll do what I've learned in all races.
I'll add them together and then I put in action.
I hope to do better because now, I feel like I'm strong.
Now I'm light, I'm more aggressive.
14 laps, okay? Okay.
The first seven laps, calm. You look at the situation in the race,
you look at other riders' attitude and after seven laps,
little push, little push. Not all time. Okay?
You manage. Focus for final, okay? You manage always calm,
stay, not first position. No work all time in front.
The UCI has played a crucial role.
They, a while ago, identified Africa as a priority
in terms of globalizing cycling. Those initiatives have to continue.
We are still fighting to get onto the start line, not just to win races.
You have to start with a massive pool at a grassroots level.
The bigger you make that pool, the bigger the chance
of having more athletes at the top.
Go, girls! Go, go!
Well, let's just talk about the goals. So...
World champs in Africa, in Rwanda, I think it's a great opportunity
to use the chaos and the...
uncomfortable sort of zone for the Europeans, right?
-Yeah. -To use it as an opportunity.
Yeah, I think it's also, no one knows what's coming.
From the recon we've been there.
There's so many variables that can come into play.
-Yeah. -Especially food.
-Yeah. -It's a big one.
Yeah, so first have to be really disciplined.
I do think growing up in South Africa,
you've got a stronger tummy than most people, hopefully.
Yeah, that's true. Yeah.
And yeah, I think, I just, I mean, the feeling and sensations
are always different in Africa. Like you have...
when you're in Europe, the Europeans are closer to their families,
closer to home, and that makes a big difference to your racing
and your performance. But, you know, being in Africa
where you're from, where you've grown up, it makes more of a difference.
Teamwork is also going to be interesting.
I don't think it's very easy because there aren't many places
where you can really organize.
There's some, like here is quite a nice long straight.
But probably a feeding zone is gonna be there
and you're gonna have to feed from yourself.
Yeah, but if you think, like, it's not that long
that they can really get proper momentum.
So just as they start getting kind of momentum to chase,
you're taking the next corner, corner, corner, you know?
So if there is ever a course that's suited to a more individual rider,
-I'd say this is the one. -This is the one.
Uncertainty surrounds Biniam Girmay's participation
at the Kigali World Championships.
The mountainous course does not suit the Eritrean sprinter,
but millions across Africa hope to see their star rider
represent the continent.
Biniam's achievements have just been phenomenal.
It's incredibly hard to reach where he is and overcome even more barriers
than a lot of other people in the peloton, who he's racing against.
I don't think he's finished.
I think he's still got many years ahead of him.
He's able to be world champion. Probably not here
because he's not the best climber, but Montreal 2026. Let's see.
So I wish he could be the first African
to become UCI world champion.
These World Championships might not suit him, but tough luck.
He's the face of African cycling. He has to be there.
He has to show up.
He has to understand that this moment is bigger than him.
The UCI Cycling Center formation up front
with bib number 24, Miria Nantume.
This stage ends in a sprint!
The winner, number 21!
Why you didn't attack on climb? Everyone is kaput!
-I was tired, my friend. -I told you,
Miria, go, Miria, go, Miria, go!
When I attack on the climb, I say after I drop and after I come back.
When I told you, I told you, Miria, go finish, everyone is tired!
We all wanted me to win!
What's your feeling on the race? How do you feel?
A bit disappointed in myself, and I think the team is also disappointed,
but me as a person, I'm happy for the results
because it's the first time in Europe in the breakaway.
I didn't win, but I was in the breakaway, it's really amazing
and it's a big improvement on my side, and I celebrate that.
By the World Championships, maybe I'll be better than this.
The World Road Championships are heading to Africa.
The Road Cycling World Championships are underway in Kigali, Rwanda.
Rwanda took center stage as the first African country
to hold the Cycling World Championships.
So much, so many issues with my stomach.
And then I did like some tests and it was refined sugar, dairy,
and they said yeast at the time rather than gluten.
I am in Kigali feeling myself again, feeling strong, feeling ready,
actually feeling super fresh because it kind of feels
like my season never really started, you know?
Yeah, it's been a really tough year.
So when in the early part of the year,
I was really thinking that I was struggling with performance
because of my back fracture,
breaking my T10 vertebra the year before.
And training went well, preparation went well,
and I started the Giro really hopeful I would be back to my normal self.
But again, I had a disappointing race. I wasn't myself, you know.
So again, it was very frustrating and confusing.
After one and a half or two hours, I'm totally empty
and it really feels like, as soon as I've used all of the fuel
that I ate the day before or for breakfast, all the glycogen is gone,
the fuel that I'm taking on the bike is not going into my muscles.
My sugar levels in my blood were always really, really high.
And this, we continued throughout the day and even not on the bike.
-Cheers, everyone, see you later. -Cheers.
Eventually, we came to the conclusion,
with the help of some blood tests as well,
that I was suffering from insulin resistance.
We managed to find the treatment to help me with insulin sensitivity.
And immediately when I started to take this,
I could see immediate response in my blood glucose levels.
It was amazing how this changed, how I felt and just the person I was.
I was feeling less anxious. It was crazy.
I felt like a new person.
Now, I'm back from Europe to Africa where the World Championship
is going to take place. I'm really happy and amazed
for the opportunity given to us Africans,
so that the biggest event is organized in our own land.
Now I feel Africa will own the spot.
It's our time to shine and let's give our level best.
We know that Europeans are, so far, better than us,
but since this in our land, let's embrace it. Let's do our level best.
Because when I started focusing about working last year,
I didn't expect this quickly to participate in World Championship.
Maybe I thought I'll be participating maybe in two years to come
because I just started focusing. Just from starting focusing
straight to World Championship. It's like from ashes to the world.
The hardest part of this program was racing in this big peloton
because me, in Uganda race, seven girls, ten girls, it's not big,
but in Europe, 80 girls on the line. It was hard, but now I enjoy it.
Now I see it. I see where I'm going now because all the pros,
they passed the same journey I passed.
When you see Biniam Girmay, like local team, pro team,
no, local team, UCI, now pro contracts.
Against all expectations. Eritrean Biniam Girmay has decided
to line up at the World Championships in Kigali.
After weeks of doubt over whether the brutal parcours suited him,
he will be there. Carrying not just his own ambitions,
but the hopes of an entire continent.
I was a little bit doubting at the beginning of the season.
It's really an honor and pleasure to be here in Rwanda
because, yeah, it's one of also the countries,
they like sport and they're also super passionate about this sport.
In Liege Bastogne Liege, I cannot go. I never go, even in Lombardia,
because it's quite hard and I don't want to go there
just to be at the start and to drop to be DNF. It's not nice.
Here in this kind of occasion, it's the first time in Africa.
It's really huge for us African riders.
And if you see this parcours, it's way harder for African riders.
So, to be honest, might be better
if you give more opportunity to the African riders.
Now I always like to do good results or try to do the best of it,
but at the end of the day, like I said, I am always happy
to wear my national team jersey and to represent my country
and the national team asked me to be there
to help the team and I accepted, 100 percent,
and that's why I'm here to support my teammates.
The other guys, they already did the press conference.
Pogi did one. Remco.
-And Kim Le Court. -Yeah.
-She can do good tomorrow? -I think she can do good.
Yeah, she likes more like not too steep.
-Maybe I think-- -Ferrand-Prévot, yeah, but...
But what I see now, Mur de Kigali is very hard.
If they accelerate here, half of the bunch will go.
If Pogi is good at that time, they will accelerate.
It's nice if we have one of our teammates in the breakaway.
Kigali! Are you there? Let me see your flags. Kigali!
Good morning. Welcome to the 2025 UCI Road World Championships
here in Kigali. We've mentioned a few times this week,
the first time we had these championships in Africa.
So this is it. The women's and men's elite road races
at a championships we hope will leave a lasting legacy.
It's special for multiple reasons, of course,
like I've been flying the flag for South Africa,
for Africa, this is the 16th year in my professional career,
and for many years, I was the only African rider
racing at the elite level in women's cycling in Europe.
And now it's good to see there are more riders joining me.
Riders like Kim Le Court wearing the yellow jersey in the tour.
So the progression is slowly but surely coming, which is really great.
I think the important thing for me is, yes, I have hopes and aspirations
of getting a good result, but more than anything,
I want to be proud of the race that I rode,
and to finish the race feeling proud.
I think maybe when we arrive,
you have an electrolyte bottle before we start.
Before we start the race. Because it's very hot today.
-Yes, very hot. -Yeah.
You have to keep the fuel up, but you are ready.
You have to believe that.
You already have done everything that you can...
to be ready.
And when you are doing this,
you remember all the sacrifices you did.
Hard training, being away from your family,
suffering on the bike.
France is difficult.
So on that start line, you remember all that and you use that as fuel,
motivation to drive you.
To do the best as you can, no matter the results.
One year preparing for this race.
You know, today, my mother is...
She is going to the clubhouse.
They called everyone in the community. "Come see, come, come."
-Make them proud. -I'll try.
The first thing we need is the basic things.
We are already far behind the European races.
We also struggle to buy a bike because they are in Europe.
It's already 14,000€, 15,000€.
If you look back here, I don't know how to spend this money.
It's way more powerful. We don't need to have exactly
like the biggest races or something like this.
We just need to have, of course, better coaches,
better nutrition, that might help a lot, I think,
if you give this opportunity for the other African riders.
It's gonna be brutal. I mean, more than 6,000 meters of climbing.
The heat, the humidity, the Mur of Kigali
or the wall of Kigali is extremely tough.
It's gonna be an extremely tough race.
...hands together for Rwanda!
There's always a bit of a level of stress, but at the same time,
this is going to be an iconic moment for Rwanda and for Africa.
So when the men start, they should also give the women start time.
So the men start, they will start counting.
Some people doubted us, you know. "African coach for this program,"
and, you know, "We are not good enough. We need an European."
The most important thing is just to stay calm, stay safe,
and just see, yeah, save energy.
I just need them not to go full gas on the first climbs.
I feel like people will be a bit afraid, actually, to be honest.
This is team South Africa!
And I'm already here a couple of days.
You know, everywhere I go, I'm also a bit surprised.
They call my name.
Eritrea! Eritrea, my friends!
In the land of a thousand hills,
there's hundreds of thousands of people out on the road.
Everything coming together, a selective parcours,
with the heat and the humidity.
And there he is, Biniam Girmay representing his team,
his country, his continent. But the big question remains,
what can he do on this brutal course?
For Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, this is her last World Championship.
One final shot to etch her name in history.
Miria Nantume, the young Ugandan rider, months of training,
thousands of kilometers. It all comes down to this moment.
It's cycling time for Africa.
Coming through is Ashleigh Moolman Pasio for South Africa.
...the likes of Biniam Girmay...
It's getting tough for Miria Nantume now
as she's digging deep fighting to hold that wheel.
And it is the approach now into Mur de Kigali.
This is Bini and I think I'm afraid that the climb is doing for Bini,
but this parcours wasn't for him.
And it's Ashleigh Moolman Pasio
that's bringing things back together.
But you can see the attack here of Amanda Spratt
has definitely done some damage to the bunch behind.
And on to the Mur de Kigali, 15 percent at the bottom,
it's 400 meters long. It's a cobbled classic job this,
in the heart of Africa.
What an effort. What courage from the man
who's carried the hopes of a continent.
This course is unforgiving. It's too much for Miria Nantume today.
Bravo.
Oh, what heartbreak for the South African,
29th, despite the incredible roar
from the African fans along the road.
I was cramping so bad before the second last climb at the...
I knew I needed to be in that break.
Well done.
Yeah, I had a good time. Second lap, I dropped, for sure.
I couldn't go. But we always learn from the mistakes.
Next time, better. I'm having a tour next week in Burundi.
I want to win the tour so that it can compensate for this one.
It's pretty hard. I feel so tired. I think it's normal.
I already see a lot of guys drop because of its super hard parcours.
But yeah, I'm just happy to ride my bike
and at least I did quite long kilometers, 175,
so that's pretty okay.
I'm the most proud of the person I've become.
More than any results, I've really evolved
as a person from a really insecure, shy woman to a strong woman.
Not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well.
I wish I get a team in Europe
to continue my career of being a pro cyclist.
I still have big dreams. This is just the start.
Behind you, there is so many young kids especially in Africa,
watching you, following you.
It's really pushed me to going forward for the next season.
Get on a bicycle. It will open doors. It'll give you freedom.
It changes your life forever.
Subtitling by Iyuno