In our last newsletter, we introduced you to the new Africa Rising Cycling Podcast, launched with a vision to celebrate the remarkable spirit and resilience of Africa’s cycling community

Since January 14th, our Head of Communications and new Pod-Guy, Jeremy, has been tirelessly capturing stories of good people doing great things.

In our first interview episode on January 19th, we felt it only fitting to interview Ross Burrage from Masaka Cycling Club (MCC), the ‘OGs’ of the virtual platform in Africa and our inspiration for the ARC Virtual Performance Center programme.

In that episode, Ross relayed the amazing story of Miria Nantume, a 19-year-old Ugandan woman who was selected for the UCI’s Africa 2025 project, spent the summer racing with the UCI World Cycling Center team in France, and then participated in the UCI Road Cycling World Championships in Rwanda in September last year.

Unfortunately, she was not selected for a professional team for this season, but she was invited to the UCI World Cycling Center in South Africa in March for another training and racing block.

Fast forward to the January 21st episode introducing Tshenolo Pro Cycling, a new Men’s Continental Team from South Africa, run by a remarkable South African, Thabiso Rengane. Jeremy spoke with Thabiso and famous cyclist Reinardt Janse van Rensburg on that podcast, where they not only discussed the men’s team but also mentioned the Tshenolo women’s club team, which they plan to develop into a UCI Women’s Continental Team for 2027.

Just days later, on January 27th, Ross sent us a moving video of Miria offering a glimpse into her family’s life in Uganda. Miria, at just 19, is already the backbone of her family, using her MCC scholarship to provide for them. Her story is a powerful reminder that the pursuit of greatness can lift not just individuals, but entire communities. You can see this movie below on our YouTube, or TikTok channels.

Inspired by her strength, we realized: if Miria is heading to the UCI camp in South Africa in March, why not extend her stay so she can race and train with the Tshenolo women? Instead of riding alone, she will be empowered by the strength of a team, experiencing first-hand what it means to be part of something bigger—an opportunity to chase her dreams even further.

A flurry of WhatsApp messages between Ross, Jeremy, Thabiso, and me, and we’ve made it happen! Miria will ride with Tshenolo Women’s Team after her time with the UCI. 

That’s it in a nutshell: who we are at Africa Rising Cycling.We bring the cycling community together to help cyclists get the opportunities they so desperately need. “It takes a village” is not just a statement; it’s how we live, our worldview, our values.

However, we need your help, as always, to make all this happen. Your donations are critical to enable us to help Miria, and many others like her, get their chance to show what African cyclists can do, given the opportunity. Please DONATE TODAY to help us continue to help these young athletes.

Stay tuned – and across our social media channels on all platforms – for more updates on Miria, Masaka Cycling Club, and the great team at Tshenolo, and so much more happening across Africa.

Other Fun & Easy Ways to Support African Cycling

Smith’s Inspiring Donations allows customers to support non-profits by linking their Rewards Card, with 0.5% of eligible spending donated to a chosen organization at no extra cost. It requires a one-time enrolment via the Smith’s website or app, does not impact fuel points, and supports schools, charities, and community groups. Don’t forget to choose Team Africa Rising at DJ632!

Thorne has been a sponsor of Team Africa Rising since 2018. Their supplement products are some of the best in the industry. Thorne has partnered with Team Africa Rising to allow TAR to be an affiliate for their products thereby giving us a percentage of every item purchased through our “Dispensary”. If you need recommendations email us at info@teamafricarising.org.

Search the Africa Rising store HERE. Grab one of our Team Africa Rising cotton/poly blend t-shirts in men’s and women’s sizes. Show your support and look good doing it! Check them out in our store and pick one up today!