A club appeal – enabling young talent to go to the next level!
Cycling in Tanzania and especially within the Arusha Cycling Club (ACC) has reached a new momentum this year:
· In February and March, Richard Laizer of the ACC become the first Tanzania to be invited to and attend the UCI African Continental Cycling Center Training Camp in South Africa. This was enabled by the generous support of Precision Air who provided the airfare, Regional Air, supporters of the ACC, Nicola Morganti and the good cooperation of the Cycling Association of Tanzania. In September he was invited to return for another two months of training and again this was made possible primarily with the support of ACC and Nicola.
· In April, ACC organized and sponsored a very successful one day race – Makyuni to Ngorongoro and return.
· In June ACC was the main sponser to send a national team to Rwanda for the well know Kiwita Izina Tour.
· Recently, the ACC obtained sponsorship from Regional Air and Thompson Safaris to purchase 12 sets of Tanzania national jerseys and pants – there will be no doubt what country that team represents.
· And all along, on the local scene, the Arusha Club has continued to grow with many new young and old members who join together for all sorts of training and recreational rides. I am sure our presence is being noticed on the roads of Arusha.
The challenges:
1. Getting our promising athletes to races – Tanzania needs to send a team to race in the African Continental Championships to be held in Burkina Faso from Nov 6 to Nov 11. Last year ACC was instrumental in helping to send the first ever team from Tanzania for these championships and they performed well. This year ACC committed to sending another team to Burkina Faso. The club along with its top riders have been training rigorously since July and along with Richard Laizer are ready to go. Nicola Morganti has generously volunteered his time, expertise and to pay his own way as team manager. But here is what we need:
· 4 tickets (see ticketing below) @$1090 = $4360 (full details available on request)
· Accommodation and lodging 9 days@$240 =$2160 (full details available on request)
Immediately after the Championships, the plan is to send a team to the Tour of Rwanda – a now internationally recognized 9 day tour – Tanzania and the ACC has been there 4 times already and our performance has steadily improved. We need 7 riders @$400 =$2800
2. Maintaining a race calendar for the cycling community’s benefit
(a) From Jan – March 2013, the club would like to concentrate on development and organizing the annual Olasiti Oljoro mountain bike race.
We need: $2000 (estimate)
(b) In April 2013, the club would like to reinstate the only multiday tour/race in Tanzania – Arusha to Ngorongoro and back. We need:
Minimum – 3 day race = $4000
Or If possible – 6 day race =$12000
This is an ambitious and formidable program, yet we have done so much thanks to all of you. However at the moment we have only enough to send 1 and ½ riders to Burkina Faso.!!!
On behalf of the Arusha Cycling Club,
Moses Andrea – Chairman
Thad Peterson – Executive Secretary
More news
Please see our latest club news – the national team with financial and technical contributions from the Arusha and Dodoma Cycling Clubs has achieved the following:
- Competing in the Tour of Rwanda in 20-27 November
- First ever Tanzanian competition in the African Continental Championships in Asmara, 8-13 November
- Competing in the Kwita Izina Tour in Rwanda in June 2001
- Training with Jock Boyer, the Team Rwanda coach, in Rwanda in October
- Preparatory training camp lasting two months from mid-August to mid-October 2011 in Arusha for the best riders to be selected for the African Continental Championships.
The Arusha Cycling Club has performed well in three national races:
- Richard Laizer of the Arusha Cycling Club won the Mwanza VODACOM race in October 2011 with three other Arusha Club riders in the top five places: Saidi Jumanne placed third, John Samwel Kitivei fourth, and Mussa Melami fifth.
- Richard Laizer also won the Arusha mini-tour in March 2011.
- The Arusha Club also sent a small team to compete in the Dodoma Race.
- The Arusha Cycling Club is now also on Facebook! -
About the club
Over the last 8 years the Arusha Cycling Club has grown to become the most prominent and respected club in Tanzania. We have consistently produced the best cyclists in Tanzania with our club riders and teams repeatedly taking first place as well as the majority of the first 10 places in all the main races staged in Tanzania – the Karibu Arusha Cycle race (hosted by the Arusha Cycling Club), the Vodacom Mwanza race, the Dodoma race as well as other races in different regions of Tanzania. In 2011, the Arusha Cycling Club played a pivotal role in sending the first ever National Tanzania Team to the Continental Championships in Eritrea. In Dec of 2009, the club was invited to send a team to Jinja, Uganda to participate in a 3 day stage race and were able to take first place. In 2007 and 2008, the Arusha Cycling Club sent a team to the Tour de Rwanda – a 9 day stage race where they competed favourably with national teams from Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya and Uganda.
Developing local talent
The Arusha Cycling Club is an organization committed to providing opportunities to promote cycling and to develop and support local talent – read more about this here.
Saying a big thank you to our supporters!
The club is extremely grateful to everyone who supports us – this includes club members, local companies and companies based in the USA – thank you! If you are interested in supporting the Arusha Cycling Club, or cycling in Tanzania more generally, or want to be involved in our activities and rides, or just interested in hiring a bike messenger (many club members rely on this for their livelihood), please contact us!
This website should provide you with all you need to know about the Arusha Cycle Club – if you there is something missing, erroneous or if you have an idea to share or something to contribute, please contact us!
Karibuni!
