{"id":288541,"date":"2025-11-16T15:51:11","date_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:51:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/288541\/"},"modified":"2025-11-16T15:51:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-16T15:51:11","slug":"team-amani-secures-historic-uci-licence-eyes-big-tour-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/288541\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Amani Secures Historic UCI Licence, Eyes Big Tour Target"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2018The potential is enormous\u2019: Ashleigh Moolman Pasio lends support and experience to Amani African cycling project.<\/p>\n

\"Team<\/p>\n

Team Amani is aiming very high within the sport and blazing a trail for African cycling (Photo: Team Amani)<\/p>\n

Updated November 15, 2025 05:25PM<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been described as a \u2018moonshot trajectory\u2019, and the goal of securing a ride for Africa\u2019s Team Amani<\/a> at the Tour de France Femmes would certainly put the squad into orbit.<\/p>\n

The ambitious target was made public this week, with Team Amani set to take out a breakthrough UCI license next season and aiming to be part of the Tour lineup by 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cEstablishing 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,\u201d said Team Amani Co-Founder Mikel Delagrange.<\/p>\n

As detailed recently<\/a> on Velo, Team Amani is part of rising momentum within African cycling.<\/p>\n

It was set up in 2020 by the late Sule Kangangi plus international criminal lawyer Delagrange.<\/p>\n

Kangangi was tragically killed in a crash in the Overland Gravel Race in Vermot in 2022. Since then Delagrange and others have continued building the project, driven on in part by his memory.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d be proud of what it has done and where it is going. Becoming Africa\u2019s first-ever UCI women\u2019s continental team next season will be historic, and participating in the biggest races will be monumental.<\/p>\n

Tour de France Femmes aside, the team also plans to ride the Giro d\u2019Italia Donne and La Vuelta Femenina by 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve always believed that with like for like resources our athletes could compete with the best,\u201d Delagrance said. \u201cWe set out a moonshot trajectory with ambitious milestones. It just so happens that our ladies hit them first.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new African cycling project
\n\"TeamTeam Amani is on a mission (Photo: Team Amani)<\/p>\n

Back in 2015 MTN-Qhubeka made its debut in the men\u2019s Tour de France, the first time an African-registered team took part. That squad was set up with the development of cycling on that continent being stated aim, yet while African riders were a significant part of the team their number dwindled over time.<\/p>\n

The ambitions of Doug Ryder saw the squad take an increasingly European focus as time passed.<\/p>\n

Team Amani puts the emphasis back on African cycling and debuted a men\u2019s continental-level team this year.<\/p>\n

Riding the men\u2019s Tour de France is also a goal, but it looks like the women\u2019s team will make its own Tour debut first.<\/p>\n

Four time Olympian Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is part of its striving push for participation.<\/p>\n

The South African is nearing the end of her own career but, following top 10 finishes in the Tour de France Femmes and Giro Donne, she has taken on a role as mentor-advisor.<\/p>\n

Given her vast experience, her input should fast-track the push for success.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I was properly introduced to Team Amani earlier this year, I was deeply inspired by the project\u2019s vision,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than following the traditional model of sending African riders to Europe and hoping they adapt, Amani is building high-performance infrastructure in Africa \u2014 where riders feel at home, supported by their own cultures and communities \u2014 and then creating pathways to Europe in a sustainable way.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving seen the level of talent firsthand, I\u2019m convinced that the potential is enormous. The power numbers are impressive, but even more inspiring is the hunger and determination of these riders.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team project was officially launched at Rouleur Live in London. Next step: to build condition for 2026, and to ensure that the women\u2019s UCI debut is as successful as possible.<\/p>\n

Only limitation: imagination
\n\"TeamTeam Amani is stepping up a level in 2026 but has much bigger goals for 2028 (Photo: Team Amani)<\/p>\n

Hosting the 2025 world championships in Africa was a hugely important catalyst for the sport there. In addition to giving Team Amani riders such as Xaverine Nirere vital experience against the best riders in the world, it also showcased cycling to the public.<\/p>\n

And don\u2019t underestimate the value of young Africans having role models. As the men\u2019s team rider Samuel Niyonkuru said in September, the worlds being in Rwanda acted as a huge shot of confidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cHosting the world championships here gave us motivation and belief. Many African riders now know it is possible to reach the highest level,\u201d he told Velo then.<\/p>\n

Having a continental-level women\u2019s team to cheer on is the next step in that progression, and something that will gain pace when the squad begins lining out in European races next spring.<\/p>\n

Delagrange is convinced his riders can make a real and growing mark.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur message to the young women on our team is that the only limitation they have now is that of their own imaginations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrailblazers have the hard work of cutting paths where none previously existed. But once the path is paved, many will follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why this moment is so consequential- not just for the women on this team but also for the future of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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