The women’s peloton is getting its first-ever Continental team based in Africa with the launch of Team Amani live on stage at Rouleur Live on Thursday afternoon.
The team has been running since 2020 but steps up to the UCI Continental level for 2026 with the ambition of competing at the Tour de France Femmes, Giro d’Italia Women, and La Vuelta Femenina by the 2028 season.
“When I was properly introduced to Team Amani earlier this year, I was deeply inspired by the project’s vision. Rather than following the traditional model of sending African riders to Europe and hoping they adapt, Amani is building high-performance infrastructure in Africa – where riders feel at home, supported by their own cultures and communities – and then creating pathways to Europe in a sustainable way.
The team, which will feature Rwandan time trial champion Xaverine Nirere among a host of yet-to-be-confirmed East African racers, will head to Europe in the spring of 2026 to begin its debut season.
According to Team Amani, the goal of the project is ‘not just to develop world-class athletes, but to build an African team, managed and supported from the continent, that can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world’.
Team Amani co-founder Mikel Delagrange said the Continental team’s…
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