Team Nigeria Cyclists, Officials of FT Cycle Care, organisers of Tour D’ Afrique back in the country
Team Nigeria cyclists and officials of FT Cycle Care, organisers of Tour D’Afrique 2025 cycling event (Nigerian to Ghana) are back in the country
The tour D’Afrique was part of celebrations for the 50th anniversary of ECOWAS and also to revive the ECOWAS tour
Chairman FT Cycle Care cycling club, Femi Thomas who doubles as the helmsman of Ogun State Cycling Association,says the tour emphasizes the unity on the African continent, most especially in the West African Sub- region
Thomas, a boardmember of Cycling Federation of Nigeria and an ex- cyclist states that the Ultimate West African Cycling Adventure afforded the cyclists the opportunity to Explore vibrant cities
– Engage with local communities and cyclists
– Foster international friendships and cooperation
” The experience was awesome because each and everyone of the cyclists, when they crossed the boarder and started seeing different things, they start to believe that there could be a better Nigeria if we’re able to do the right thing.
” They also saw the professionalism out there which make them believe that if these people can do things in a perfect way, we too can do better. So, they were able to adapt to new sense of professionalism, new ability to explore , to diversify and also see things beyond their locality.
On the technical aspect of the tour, he noted that the team covered 220 kilometer on the first day, did 180 kilometer on the second day and 95 kilometer on the third day while on their way back, they rode 188 kilometer, did 140 kilometer on the sixth day and 135 kilometer on the final day.
” You can see that we covered a lot of distance within a short period of time but we were able to enjoy it. There were different terrain, different hills, different weather and environment which made us become more familiar with everything around us”, he stressed.
He appealed to companies and businesses to take advange of the enomous benefits accrued to the tour to grow their products and services along the West African route.
Logistics Manager, FT Cycle Care, Iyanoluwa Abidoye , explaines that the tour which is it’s 6th edition is organized annually to encourage cyclists to sharpen their skills in the sport and promote a healthy lifestyle
Iyanoluwa Abidoye while commending all the government agencies like Customs, Immigration and boarder patrols of the various countries they passed through for making the team have a seamless trip, announced that they’re planning a 24 hour ride which usually take place in December.
” It’s a thing of joy that we had a successful trip. Kudos must go to Immigration, ECOWAS, Customs and boarder patrols of Nigeria and all the three countries for their understanding which made the trip hitch free
” We at FT Cycle Care are planning to organise a 24 hour ride in December that will bring together all cyclists to create unity, love and peace and we hope to see more athletes participate in that event”, she stated.
In their separate interviews, Aniekwe Chidiebere Solomon, Bello Abidemi who made their debut in the tour and Dauda Saliu, a recreational rider all took turns to hail the tour, declaring that they enjoyed every aspect of the trip.
According to them, though the tour wasn’t easy but it enabled them to know more about other African countries and their culture.
They however appealed to the Nigerian Government to pay more attention to cycling because there’s a lot of benefits while urging the government to create a dedicated lane for cycling on the roads
A total of 17 cyclists took part in the weeklong event which took them to Benin Republic, Togo and Ghana.
The event terminated at the liaison office of ECOWAS in Lagos where a top official of the sub- regional body received and presented the team with medals as an award and recognition for their achievement.
The Tour D’Afrique saw the cyclists cover a distance of 1000 kilometers
