Team AMANI

Concept

Team AMANI is a racing team based out of Lola Bikes and Coffee in The Hague, The Netherlands. The Team composition is made up of riders based in The Hague as well as riders from sister clubs in Rwanda, Kenya & Uganda.

Together with our partners the initiative will create many opportunities for young men and women from East Africa to race and condition in Europe

Outspoken Podcast link - Listen below to learn more about the work of Team Amani

The idea behind the AMANI project is simple - they try to create cycling opportunities for talented rides from East Africa. At least, that was the plan, till COVID-19. The travel restrictions have forced them to reconsider their model and search for ways to achieve their goals of greater inclusivity in the sport in an environment where no races are taking place and international travel is restricted. That’s when they decided to take a closer look at the e-racing. Why e-racing? Following many conversations with partners and a few trial runs, they came to see e-racing as a potential game-changer, a leveller, an opportunity for much greater inclusivity. How? Namely, through e-racing they can showcase the talent of many of our riders to the world without incurring the costs associated with travel and stay in Europe. Less costs means more opportunities for up and coming riders. In addition, they see it as a brilliant development tool for talent scouting with hard data and standardised testing methods now suddenly accessible at the village level. That brings us to the The #RideOnline Campaign. The Objective: to get as many African cycling clubs and teams racing together online as soon as possible. The Plan: First, together with their partner Team Africa Rising, they are going to start by outfitting our three sister team clubhouses in Iten (Kenya), Kigali (Rwanda) and Masaka (Uganda) with e-trainers so as to extend e-racing and e-training opportunities to all riders on those respective teams. Second, using their Team Amani X Africa Rising Intercontinental Series event on Zwift, they hope to link all of these riders together on a single platform so as to provide a venue for networking amongst the riders and a space to demonstrate their collective strength. Third, members from Team Amani (Europe) will support the best riders from each of the sister teams under the umbrella of a single (e)Team Amani and try and win as many races as possible to showcase the individual talents of those riders in the network. We sat down with Mikel Delagrange who is one of the creators to discuss all of the above and much much more Link to the Zwift event: https://www.zwift.com/events/view/868182?__znl=en-eu Team Amani: www.teamamani.com @teamamani on Insta The Migration (Gravel event): @ride_migration on Insta (website coming soon) Lola Bikes and Coffee (team clubhouse, etc.) www.lolabikesandcoffee.nl @lolabikesandcoffee on Insta Links to Sister Clubs/Teams Rwanda: Team Africa Rising @africarisingcycling https://teamafricarising.org/ Kenya: Kenya Riders @kenya_riders https://kenyanriderssafaricom.com/ Uganda: Masaka Cycling Club @masakacyclingclub https://thehiddenathlete.com.au/masaka-cycling-club/

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Team Amani Website

@teamamani on Instagram



Sister Clubs

Team Africa Rising Rwanda

Team Rwanda Cycling began in 2007 and exponentially grew the sport of cycling in Rwanda, a country torn apart in genocide in 1994. Through the work of Team Rwanda Cycling, we assembled a team of professional cyclists who now race competitively on the international stage and in so doing, are exceptional ambassadors for Rwanda. They give others, both nations and people in conflict, hope.

Visit Africa Rising Website

@africarisingcycling on Instagram

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Kenyan Riders

The sport of cycling remains the least diverse of all global sports, and it needs more brothers in it. Kenyan Riders-are here to add colour to the world of cycling! 

Kenyans are the best endurance athletes in the world. The tribes that produce all that talent make up something like 0.03% of the world's population but account for 60% of running marathon winners.

It so happens that cycling is an endurance sport. So the idea is to find endurance talent, give them bikes, and get them training! 

Visit Kenyan Riders website

@kenyan_riders on Instagram

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Masaka Cycling Club

Masaka Cycling Club is an amatuer cycling team based in Masaka, Southern Uganda. The club composition is made up of elite, developing and entry level cyclists.

Our club is part of the Team Amani initiative which also comprises sister clubs in both Kenya and Rwanda. This initiative is designed to showcase cycling talent within the East African nations and prepare riders for opportunities amongst professional cycling teams.