After hosting the World Championships in 2025, who Is driving African cycling forward?

Africa fielded seven men’s UCI Continental teams this year. Algeria’s Madar Pro Cycling Team finished as the leading Africa Tour team, amassing 1,280 UCI points to rank among the world’s top 40 teams and sixth among Continental teams globally.

Beyond Le Court’s achievements, young African women are making strides. Ethiopia’s Tsige Kahsay Kiros and Eritrea’s national champion Monalisa Araya joined Canyon/SRAM Generation on three-year contracts through 2028. The UCI World Cycling Centre’s Continental Women’s Team also signed five promising African riders for 2026.

Another milestone was the launch of Team Amani Women, the first UCI-registered women’s team based in Africa.

Its 13-rider squad represents five countries, including eight Ethiopians, reflecting the ambitions of sporting director Tsgabu Grmay. 

Tshenolo Pro Cycling has also registered a women’s UCI Continental team, further strengthening the continent’s developing women’s pathway.

Of Africa’s 54 UCI-affiliated nations, the 120 riders identified in this analysis come from just 13, with Eritrea, South Africa, and Algeria accounting for more than half. 

For nearly two decades, Doug Ryder’s teams, from MTN Energade in 2008 to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team in 2024, carried the mantle of “Africa’s Team”, giving almost 70 African riders opportunities in the professional peloton. 

South Africa and Eritrea supplied 75% of those riders, with five other nations contributing the remainder.

Reflecting on this legacy in Velo in 2023, Ryder said: “To be a part of that and to see the opportunity that more African riders are having I am really proud of that. We will continue to work to see how African cycling can be transformed.”

From 2025, no African riders remained on Q36.5’s roster, although the continent continued to be represented at World Tour and ProTeam level by nearly a dozen male and female riders.

An analysis of rider data on ProCyclingStats suggests there is no obvious successor to Ryder’s teams. But one UCI Continental team, established in 2014, has quietly built an impressive record of supporting African talent: Germany-registered Team BIKE AID.

Since joining the Continental ranks, BIKE AID has signed 26 African riders. Several, including Henok Mulubrhan and Milkias Maekele, have progressed to higher levels. This season, the team signed two young Eritrean rising stars: Nahom Efriem, who impressed at the 2025 Junior Road World Championships, and highly rated Even Yemane.

BIKE AID’s riders have represented ten African nations, compared with seven across Ryder’s teams, including countries less associated with road cycling, such as Togo, Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

Its long-term commitment is backed by an ambitious racing calendar, a strong social media presence, lead partner HYLO and a new multi-year partnership with Cinelli. 2026 was a transition year for the team, as younger riders joined, however they delivered strong wins at Tour of Benin and Tour of Poyang Lake, with an invitation to the 2.Pro Lloyds Tour of Britain also a key highlight.

Founder Matthias Schnapka explained the team’s philosophy on the most recent Africa Rising Cycling podcast:

“Since the beginning when we registered as a UCI team, we have always supported African cycling. Every year, we have spots on our roster reserved for African riders, and whenever possible we do races like Tour du Rwanda and the Tour du Benin to try and show to everyone across Europe and the world how beautiful cycling in Africa is and how much talent is there.”

BIKE AID’s latest signing further strengthens that claim. Senegalese rider Neriah Meunier Sow, 21, who impressed at the 2026 World Championships in Montreal, will join the team for 2027, becoming the first Senegalese rider to take this step into professional cycling.

Sow said:

“I am really happy to join Team BIKE AID and take the next step in my career. The opportunity to discover a new level of racing by competing in professional races and gaining experience against stronger riders was a big motivation for me. Another important reason for joining is the team’s project in Africa. Being born in Senegal, this is something I feel particularly connected to. I would love to contribute to the development of cycling in Senegal, because there are many talented riders dreaming of becoming professional cyclists who simply do not have the opportunities to pursue those dreams.”

Meunier Sow and his new team-mate Yemane are set to join more than 250 riders from 30 African nations at the African Continental Cycling Championships in Kenya, running from 21–25 October.

As African cycling builds on the momentum of the 2025 World Championships, BIKE AID’s model offers a compelling example of how sustained investment in riders can turn opportunity into a lasting pathway.