We are excited to bring our #FromThePaddock series back to life, this time from the very warm Bénin, in West Africa – ahead of the start on Monday 28 April of the 2025 Tour du Bénin. We will update this live blog daily with content, interviews, imagery and all the things you guys want from a bike race!
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25 April: As more and more teams arrive from the airport, and unload hundreds of bags and bike boxes, the mechanics get to work! The conditions are challenging, with the temperatures hitting 35C+ and humidity into the 80s, however the mechanics are pros and start building their riders’ bikes, checking them over, and fixing all issues caused in transit. Many teams then went out on brief training riders to make sure all is in order.
The ‘horse-trading’ of all pre-bike race paddocks has begun, with teams seeking hard to find items like extra nutrition, tyre sealant, and even a helmet for a rider who had forgotten theirs (truly one of the key CARDINAL sins in bike racing – we won’t name them…)
The other wonderful moment on the eve of a bike race is when old team-mates who have not seen each other for a long time are reunited! Today was a special one, as mentioned in the blog below, as the evergreen Adrien Niyonshuti (Head Coach of Benin) got to see his long-term friend and colleague Reinardt Janse van Rensburg (racing for the Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team from South Africa) again. It was wonderful to see the years roll back as these guys talked of World Tour races gone by…
When reminded by these moments, we always take a minute to pay tribute to that period of African pioneering in the top level of the sport, spear-headed by the MTN-Qhubeka (and later Dimension Data) teams, run by the tenacious Doug Ryder.
Nearly 30 riders from across Africa rode for Doug’s teams between 2008 and 2021, quite simply forcing the pro peloton to accept Africans, and laying the ground for riders like Biniam Girmay, Natnael Tesfatsion and Henok Mulubrhan to be ever-present in the Grand Tours as the new generation.
Back to events in Cotonou, our race favourites (sorry!) Team Bénin arrived at the race HQ hotel this afternoon in their team mini-van, it was quite a sight! Having snuck onto the Team UAE Emirates bus in Mallorca a few months ago and seen the individual seating and luxury that Tadej and others enjoy, Bénin are keeping it real!
The keen-eyed among you will spot some awesome new Scott Sports road bikes on the roof, they come thanks to our help and assistance from the UCI’s World Cycling Centre in Switzerland.
In addition to 16 road bikes coming off the roof and inside, this little van amazingly then gave up: a dozen pairs of wheels, 14 rider suitcases, two massage tables and a soigneur, and six, yes six, riders! Absolute legendary packing skills from these guys…
24 April: Preparations for the Tour du Bénin began today in earnest.
We saw the arrival of Team Cameroon this morning, alongside Team Born’Heures, Universe Cycling Team, Team Nigeria. The Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team from South Africa arrived later in the evening. The latter boasting ex-World Tour rider Reinardt Janse van Rensburg on their roster. This will make for a happy reunion with Adrien Niyonshuti, the Bénin National Team head coach, as they raced together for several years on the Team Dimension Data, at the World Tour level.
Alongside the Tour du Bénin, Adrien’s national team are also preparing for the African Continental Track Championships in a few weeks in Egypt, so a group of female and male riders (Exodus Saïzonou pictured below) were out practicing their track skills today, on the circuit around the iconic ‘Stade Charles de Gaulle’ in Porto Novo.
The pressure is on the host nation, and the Benin National Cycling team house was a hive of activity today, with bikes being serviced, new parts being fitted, equipment being checked, and race kit being handed out to the Men’s ‘A’ and ‘B’ team riders, as well as the women ahead of the GP on Saturday.
Earlier in the day, the well-known journalist Eric Falaizeau and a colleague from Cavousplay Productions, gave a detailed presentation of the nuances of professional bike racing to a dozen or so prominent news and sports journalists from Bénin to ensure they report on the event accurately.
23 April: Our team arrived into Cotonou late in the evening and settled into accommodation. The roadbook was circulated earlier so we had time to go through this and familiarise ourselves with the race.
The six stage UCI 2.2 ME Tour du Bénin starts on Monday 28 April and runs through to Saturday 3 May, with a 25km Team Time Trial (TTT) taking place on Stage Three (30 April). The men will then race the – newly promoted to 2.1 – 107km Grand Prix de Cotonou on Sunday 4 May…
…and for the women, for the first time, on Saturday 3 May, after the men’s stage finishes, the debut women’s 54km Grand Prix International Des Amazones will take place, giving many the female riders an equal chance to the men to get time racing in front of the big expected crowds!
We will also be sharing content in real time across our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X/Twitter, BlueSky, LinkedIn) so please do give these a follow, as well as more in-depth articles and interviews with key riders, team management, UCI officials and many more present at this incredible race.
