Team Amani is born: Africa can look forward to its first continental women's team in history!
Cycling
The 2026 season in women's cycling is going to be historic for one reason in particular. The first African continental UCI team has been created by Team Amani. The potential of this squad is very high, setting very ambitious goals for the coming years of competition at the most demanding level.
This new team is based in Ethiopia. Its roster will include riders from the African country itself, as well as Rwanda and other countries on the eastern side of the continent.
As mentioned, this Team Amani dreams big, as by 2028 it wants to be competing in the main races of the UCI World Tour calendar: Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España for women.
The team should begin racing in Europe as soon as during the 2026 spring classics.
Veteran South African cyclist Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio will join this team as a mentor and ambassador for the time being as she is still under contract at AG Insurance - Soudal for the time being. Presenting the team at Rouleur Live, the 35-year-old has made statements collected by CyclingWeekly in which she has spoken about this ambitious project. Xaverine Nirere, Rwanda's national individual time trial champion, has been confirmed as a part of the project.
Read also
"As a pioneer of African women's cycling, reaching this stage of my career feels like the right time for me to give back and help the next generation of African talent to reach the highest level," Moolman-Pasio explained her personal motivation to get behind this project.
Women's cycling will soon meet the new Team Amani
"When I was introduced to Team Amani earlier this year, I was deeply inspired by the vision of the project. Instead of following the traditional model of sending African cyclists to Europe and expecting them to adapt, Amani is building a high-performance infrastructure in Africa, where the cyclists feel at home, supported by their own cultures and communities, and then creating pathways to Europe in a sustainable way."
The great potential of the team
"Having seen firsthand their level of talent, I am convinced that their potential is huge.... I am proud to play an active role in helping them develop that potential and to see African women compete in the world's top races in the coming years," she added.
Co-founder Mikel Delagrange has also commented on the creation of Team Amani:
"Establishing this team with ambitions to race competitively in the biggest races in the world within three years feels like a watershed moment for our project," said the team co-founder. "We’ve always believed that with like-for-like resources our athletes could compete with the best… Our message to the young women on our team is that the only limitation they have now is that of their own imaginations."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
- I agree that, for Evenepoel, the Euro championship is overshadowed by the slightly off Lombardia and Worlds. However, I disagree that "Ciccone also made a serious mistake at the European Championships" because I don't think he had a win in the bag although he could have won with a perfect bike throw. Guesswork about the finish is not evidence by me for some serious mistake. Sometimes you just barely lose - although Ciccone's sourpuss about it persona was serious.flyer14-11-2026
- I bet you photobombed the video since you are his shadow!frieders314-11-2026
- Skipping the 2027 TDF would be fine in my opinion, and if so, it further reveals that him racing it in 2026 was a good decision. Seixas speaks confident, almost cocky, these days (not meant to be a criticism) and I find it a tad humorous that people (rather commentators) continually chide and advise on how Decathlon should direct and manage Seixas when Paul seems to be calling all his shots since well before this year's TDF.flyer14-11-2026
- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too.Lozza14-11-2026
- Well I just watched this and I thought it was great! If you’re a Pogi fan, like me, you’ll enjoy it. Even if you’re not necessarily a Pogi fan I still recommend it. There’s plenty of new stuff I didn’t know about and I’m a Pogi-maniac! Nice interviews with Pogi & Matteo Trentin too. So Zonnewotsit can stick it!Lozza14-11-2026
- Who’s gifting grand tours at UAE? Defo not Pogi! Stage wins maybe.Lozza13-11-2026
- Sepp Kuss Vuelta 2023.Lozza13-11-2026
- they have no expertise with classics, they have no leaders in classics. the classics is dominated by the few Fuori Classe riders where other riders are left with scraps. the Hiring , the salaries dont make sense at all. Same problem as Man Utd. over paid players, egos, very little performanceabstractengineer13-11-2026
- Contract year means you gotta win, at least collect UCI points, helping be damnedabstractengineer13-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment