Qhubeka Day at the Tour de France!

Qhubeka Day at the Tour de France!

Saturday 18 July was "Qhubeka Day" at the Tour de France. The stage and the whole day is dedicated to the South African charity [https://www.letour.fr/en/news/2026/tour-de-france-and-tour-de-france-femmes-avec-zwift-extend-partnership-with-the-qhubeka-charity/1333119]which manufactures new African-designed bicycles and distributes them to schoolchildren in the poorest areas of the country. This hugely reduces the time it usually takes them to walk to and from school, improving attendance and results, as well as significantly improving their individual safety. Qhubeka - and the French domestic charity Secours Populaires - are the principal causes of the Tour de France's "Un Vélo pour Tous" (A bicycle for all) commitment to cycling mobility. As part of this program, more than 7,500 bicycles have been donated. We caught up with Anthony Fitzhenry, the Founder of the Qhubeka Charity, in Mulhouse after the day's celebrations had taken part, to hear all about the charity, and some of the moments that took place today, including Sir Mark Cavendish talking about his experience at Qhubeka distributions. You can see the 2026 TDF & Qhubeka promotional movie here [https://www.tiktok.com/@letourdefrance/video/7663827259224001825], and to find out more about the charity, or to make a donation, visit their website: www.qhubeka.org [https://www.qhubeka.org/] #LAveniràVélo #BicyclesChangeLives

Namibia's Toughest Road Race Returns: Check out Next Month's Pupkewitz Megabuild Tour de Windhoek!

On this week's episode, we spoke with Gerhard Breed, the President of Windhoek Pedal Power, and the Race Organiser of the 2026 Pupkewitz Megabuild Tour de Windhoek - powered by Pupkewitz Motors! This race is Namibia's premier multi-stage cycling event, showcasing the breath-taking landscapes of the country across five thrilling stages, and is one of southern Africa's top races. Participants traverse diverse and technical routes that test endurance and skill, culminating in a grand finale and prize-giving ceremony at Pupkewitz Megabuild Lifestyle. Listen to a full run-down of all the exciting things happening from Gerhard, including a children's race, a night race, a big cycling expo, and a criterium. All with some impressive prizes! To register or to find out more, visit the Pupkewitz Megabuild Tour de Windhoek website [https://www.tourdewindhoek.com/]! A week after this event, the UCI African Continental Gravel Championships will be taking place in Namibia. By taking part in the Tour de Windhoek, African riders can acclimatise to Namibia's altitude, and then race the Gravel Conti Championships! Taking part will give riders the right to enter the UCI Gravel World Championships, so it would be a week well spent in the beautiful country of Namibia. To find out more about the Gravel Conti Championships, visit their official website [https://khomas100.com.na/].

Race To the Sky! 17yo Jonathan Muhawenimana takes on the iconic Mt. Blue Sky Hill Climb!

On 29 March 2026, 17-year-old Jonathan Muhawenimana [https://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/jonathan-muhawenimana] won the Rwandan Junior MTB XCO National Championships. This was a great win for a rising young Rwandan cycling star. Jonathan is the son of Rafiki Uwimana, who, alongside Adrien Niyonshuti, was one of the founding riders of Team Rwanda 20 years ago. Jonathan is currently in the USA on a training and racing program, and we would like to give a shout-out to the awesome Excel Sports [www.excelsports.com] for sponsoring Jonathan! Our podcast today is with Ryan Petry, the Creative and Community Lead for the iconic Mt Blue Sky Hill Climb [https://www.bicyclerace.com/]. The Mt Blue Sky Hill Climb will take place on 25 July, and is a legendary 27-mile ride up the highest paved road in North America. The ride was established in 1962, and the organisers close the road to the top for riders' safety. The Climb is in honor of Bob Cook, a US Olympian and record holder. Bob Cook died of brain cancer at the age of 23, and the Hill Climb is a memorial to this extraordinary athlete.  We hear Jonathan's hopes for the race - give him a follow on Strava to see how he does [https://strava.app.link/HCZmkwLJB4b] - some tips from Ryan on how to handle this really challenging race, and lots more! Give the race a follow on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/blueskyhillclimb/], and we will of course be sharing Jonathan's results as they are confirmed.

Its National Champs time! Our review of all the action

Per UCI rule 1.2.029: "National road championships shall be organised during the last full week of the month of June" and over the last few days, we have seen 12 African nations organise their National road championships, including Eritrea, Algeria, Mauritius alongside relatively new countries like Kenya and Eswatini. South Africa and Namibia held theirs in February. On the podcast today, we talk through: - The vital nature of National Championships in terms of riders experiencing a UCI-sanctioned race, still rare for a lot of young African riders; - A deep-dive into the results of the top African nations; - The breaking news that it seems that Rwanda did not register their National Championships with the UCI, and Kim's experience with this situation in Benin in 2021; and - How several nations, including Cote d'Ivoire (the nation of current UCI Confederation of African Cycling President) did not register their National championships with the UCI at all. We have a comprehensive database of all UCI-sanctioned race results across Africa on our website [https://teamafricarising.org/2026-africa-uci-calendar/]. We are also very happy that several of the riders who won either ITT or Road Race titles feature in our recently published 'Top Ten Next Gen' article for Rouleur Magazine [https://www.rouleur.cc/blogs/the-rouleur-journal/africa-rising-the-next-young-riders-chasing-the-wheels-of-giants]. Check it out!

Operating in the heart of the DRC - Meet Goma Cycling Club

Over a decade ago in the DRC, Charles-Guy Makongo already had his hands full helping the country's most vulnerable people access justice and avoid violence in his day job working there as Country Director for the American Bar Association. However, in his free time, after meeting them when out for a bike ride, he took some 30 teenage cyclists under his wing and created the Goma Cycling Club. Fast forward ten years, and one of the club's young talents Joel Kyaviro stood on the podium as a stage winner at the 2026 Tour of Cameroon - the DRC's first ever UCI race win! Listen to Guy as he talks passionately about building a safe and positive environment for these young people; how an article in The Guardian by Ruth Maclean and Caleb Kabanda [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/15/i-only-dream-of-bicycles-the-drc-cycling-club-offering-hope-and-breakfast] got them international attention and donors; and how they continue to foster young talent in a very difficult environment. In early 2025, Africa Rising Cycling partnered with Goma CC and some of its European donors, and supplied new Zwift Hubs and Wahoo HRMs for them to train safely, as riding outside was impossible with a conflict with Rwanda raging all around. The ability to continue training and operating kept Goma CC going through the conflict. We thank our partners Zwift [www.zwift.com]and Wahoo [www.wahoofitness.com]for saving this vital club in the region. Goma CC is always looking for donations, bikes, clothing, bottles, and equipment for their riders. To get in touch with them, contact Guy on: charlesguymakongo@gmail.com Give them a follow on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/gomacyclingclubsgcc/] too. We hope you enjoy this episode, and if you do, please share on your social media!