Wahoo and Team Amani partner to make cycling more accessible

In 2021 Wahoo has partner with Team Amani, an organisation aiming to make cycling more inclusive. The partnership titled “Fursa” meaning “Opportunity” in Swahili intends to give athletes equal opportunity at the sport of cycling.

Fursa, presented by Wahoo, kicked off in 2021 with Kenya’s Migration Gravel Race – the first
global gravel race held in East Africa. Team Amani conceptualized this event, which gave athletes from Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda access to high-level international competition on their home turf, allowing these riders the opportunity to compete against world-class talent.

In 2021 the organisations ran into unforeseen visa challenges, and were unable to send athletes to compete, making this year even more special to the mission of making cycling more accessible and inclusive.

In 2022 the partnership has provide 1 Ugandan and 3 Kenyan athletes with the opportunity to race premier gravel events, including: SBT GRVL, Gravel Worlds, and Vermont Overland in the United States.

“While cycling crowns World and Olympic champions, nearly all have come from Western Europe and North America. In order to create a sport with more opportunity and representation, we want to make sure that the exceptional riders from this currently underrepresented region get the chance to compete against the best in the world,” said Mikel Delagrange of Team Amani.

“These 4 athletes faced a year-long delay due to unforeseen visa challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they’ve been training harder than ever and are ready for the chance to prove themselves. We’re proud to be able to give them that chance through the ‘Fursa’ program.”

Team Amani collaborated with the world-renowned Wahoo Sports Science team to ensure each athlete had advanced preparation ahead of the event. Wahoo’s team had athletes perform a series of fitness/performance-related tests using the Sufferfest (now Wahoo X) software on their respective Wahoo KICKRs. From there, Wahoo specialists met with each country’s coaches to help provide personalised training guidance and recommendations going into the Mitigation Gravel Race. It was following this race that the top-four athletes were selected to take their talents to the next level.

“It’s an honour for our team to be able to assist these athletes in their journey to these premier gravel events,” said Neal Henderson, head of Wahoo Sports Science. “We have been there through it all—from helping to train athletes ahead of the Migration Gravel Race, to continuing to provide expert insights and recommendations in the 15 months since. It’s been an opportunity for our team to show the value in sports science, all while helping 4 athletes reach their full potential. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish from here.”

Wahoo and Team Amani are proud to announce the 4 athletes competing in the United States are Sule Kangangi, John Kariuki, Nancy Akinyi from Kenya and Jordan Schleck from Uganda.

With the 2022 edition of SBT Gravel already under their belts, the team saw John Kariuki come home 13th out of 644 riders – 1st in the Male 19-29yrs category – a fantastic result for everyone involved.

Wahoo’s Ian Boswell travelled to Kenya in 2021, taking part in the first edition of the Migration Gravel Race, finishing 4th. As ‘Fursa’ partnership manager, Boswell is proud to compete among these talented athletes, saying “I’m incredibly excited to see how these four riders stack up against bigger fields here in the United States.”

With Gravel Worlds (August 19-20) followed by Vermont Overland (August 27), Wahoo will release a documentary on Team Amani and the American Gravel race series, scheduled for October, 2022, showcasing the Team Amani journey to the global cycling community.