ACTUALITE |
26.10.2005
Cycling: Cameroon Seeks Glory at Faso
Some 108 cyclists are expected to take part in the 19th edition of the tour of Burkina Faso.
The 19th edition of the Tour of Burkina Faso international cycling race kicks-off today. Some 108 cyclists drawn from 18 teams are expected to participate in the competition. For 11 days adepts of bicycle racing in Africa and the world will watch young cyclists show what they can do in the sport. Among the participating teams, 11 will come from Africa, six from Europe, one from Switzerland and one from Japan. The African teams include: Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Senegal, Angola, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger. Host Burkina Faso will present three teams: Burkina Faso I (Café Samba), Burkina Faso II (Groupe Fadoul) and Burkina Faso III (Sofitex). The race which will cover a distance of 1,384km has 11 laps. The first lap will take place between Kokologo and Boromo, a distance of 136km today. The second lap will take place tomorrow between Pa and Gaoua (159km). Unlike the tour of Cameroon which has an undulating topography, the tour of Burkina Faso is essentially a flat race competition.
Six athletes of the national cycling team will represent the country in the competition. They are Tega Martinien, Sanda Joseph, Pascal Bouba, Teku Damien, Teguimaha Sadrak and Tamno Tokam Narcisse. The cyclists left the country yesterday and are expected to join the other teams in the take-off. The tour of Burkina Faso is Africa’s most prestigious cycling race enjoying the status of a national heritage with a budget of CFA 500milion disbursed for the competition this year.
The Cameroonian cyclists are expected to represent the country honourably in Burkina Faso. During the 2003 edition, Tega Martinien finished as best African athlete but failed to defend his title in 2004 due to the absence of Cameroon in the competition. Given the recent performance of the Cameroonians in the tour of Senegal and the just ended Grand Prix International Chantal Biya, it is certain that they will fetch gold and glory for Cameroon in Burkina Faso.
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