Support Tanzanian Women Cycling
Make your contribution today to support women cycling in Tanzania and create role models for the future!
Women need role models and sport is a great way to achieve this. They usually have to overcome more barriers to get where they are. Tanzanian women have been a tremendous inspiration to me and this is one way in which I can give something back.
Road trip to Paris and La Course
Last year July, I joined a very motivated and crazy bunch of women cyclists on a 550km Road Trip to Paris. This trip was organized by friends of Marianne Vos - multiple national, world and olympic champion women's road racing -, to support women cycling in the run up to La Course, the elite women's stage at the Tour de France that she subsequently won.
Making a Difference
My motivation to join in this 550km adventure aside from cheering on Marianne Vos at the end, was to create awareness of Women Cycling in Tanzania and raise support for training women cyclists in Tanzania through the local clubs. The goal to ultimately send at least one female Tanzanian rider to the African Continental Championships (ACC) has been achieved.
African Continental Championships (ACC) 2015
This February Sophia Hussein Makala (28) and Martha Anthony Ngwatu (25) raced in the ACC for Tanzania, held in South Africa from 9-14 February, 2015. Sophia, the National Champion of Tanzania, also joined the pre-race training camp sponsored by the World Cycling Centre Africa (WCCA).
Martha and Sophia at the recent ACC in South Africa
Focus on Women
Read all about the special Focus on Women in African Continental Championships and the experience of Sophia and Martha in the May edition of Feminin Magazine.
Arusha Bicycle Center
I am continuing my fundraising campaign in support of the women’s programme at the newly established Arusha Bicycle Center in Tanzania to help grow and strengthen women’s cycling.
Beatrice, Dodoma Cycling Club and Mwanza Woman Champion
My Story
From October 2010 to January 2013 I lived and worked in Tanzania and funny enough got involved in road race cycling and became a member of the Dodoma Cycling Club. This is surely something I had never expected! I met women cyclists from all over Tanzania and participated in several road races, of which the biggest was in Mwanza, where I rode with 75 women. Almost all of them rode on very heavy Phoenix bikes that they use for daily transport, so these women were strong! They showed such bravery and defiance, epitomizing the Swahili saying: “Wanawake wanaweza”, which translates as "women can do it"! Particularly if they stand together.
Women's start at the Mwanza Open Vodacom Road Race
How you can help
Your donation will support local training of women cyclists that will be done in coordination with the Arusha Bicycle Center and local clubs.
So far donations have enabled two Tanzanian women cyclist to receive extra training at the UCI World Cycling Centre Africa (WCCA) before participating in the African Continental Championships in Spring 2015.
Target
The target has been raised from EUR 2,500 to EUR 5,000 in support of the Arusha Bicycle Center. So far EUR 2,000 has been spent in support of Tanzanian women cyclists to attend the African Continental Championships.
Make a difference through your contribution. Support women cycling in Tanzania and help create role models for the future!
