David Lappartient: "Within the next few years we will also have an African world champion"

David Lappartient, the President of the UCI has several good points to mention about the development that African cycling is having, and how in recent times these have been very noticeable.

He's had a lot of praise for the very charismatic win of Biniam Ghirmay at the recent Gent-Wevelgem, and has no doubt that he can trigger even further the current movement: “I think the great thing is that Girmay didn't win by chance, but because he was the best in the race and tactically very smart. If you can do this at the age of 22, then you are a rare talent. It was the first time that an African rider has won a one-day race at WorldTour level. This was a fantastic win for several reasons."

"In 2005, there were only sixteen national federations in Africa affiliated with the UCI. Nowadays there are no fewer than 54. This means that all African countries are now members of the UCI. Cycling is a booming sport in Africa. That is why we also awarded the 2025 Road World Championships to Rwanda to give the sport an extra boost in the entire contingent," he added.

With the rising popularity of the Tour of Rwanda, the country and it's capital city of Kigali whilst host the World championships in 2025 which is set to be a very important mark in the history of cycling in the country and continent. With talents as Girmay, Natnael Tesfatsion and many more who are contesting high-level wins at top level, also the scouting work in the continent raises - as is the case with continental champion Henok Mulubrhan who just this week was announced in Italian Bardiani - CSF - Faizanè and will likely ride the Giro d'Italia.

Lappartient was keen to point out that “we see that the popularity of cycling means that there are more and more young cyclists in Africa. A number of these come to the World Cycling Center in Aigle every year. Girmay is an example of this. To me it proves that the path of globalization that the UCI started some time ago is now starting to pay off. In the coming years we will see more African cyclists coloring the finals of important races. Within the next few years we will also have an African world champion. I'm convinced of that.

He completed the topic with a statement that African cycling is only one of the aspects where there is the ambition for development. "Cycling is a strong sport with many fans along the way. But we have only a small share of the major world markets with huge populations. In countries such as India, China, Indonesia and the United States, cycling is a minor sport. We are convinced that we must continue to invest to make our sport more popular worldwide. If we can take steps in that area, it will benefit not only the sporting struggle but also the economy of our sport," he concluded.