All major roads in Eldoret have been closed in preparation for the 2024 African Road Cycling Championship, which begins today, with 20 countries participating. Vehicles using the Nairobi-Eldoret-Malaba road have been diverted to alternative routes, such as the southern bypass, as the main Uganda road will be used for the cycling event.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi announced that the traffic disruptions would remain in effect until Sunday when the championship concludes. He urged residents and road users to cooperate with security agencies during the event. Hundreds of police officers from neighboring counties have been deployed to secure the city, the event routes, and top hotels where over 2,000 foreign guests and participants are staying.
In preparation for the championship, the Uasin Gishu County and Kenya National Highways Authority (KeNHA) undertook road repairs, including the removal of bumps and concrete barriers to meet competition standards. The race will kick off at the Eldoret County headquarters and will cover areas within Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties.
Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii expressed pride in hosting the event, highlighting Eldoret’s reputation as a global sports hub. Teams from participating countries, including Morocco, have already arrived, while Kenya’s 42 cyclists have been training in Iten.
This marks the first time the prestigious cycling event is being held in Kenya, specifically in Eldoret, known as the “City of Champions.” Governor Bii sees the event as another opportunity to showcase Uasin Gishu’s status as a sporting hub, famous for producing world-class athletes. Sports executive Lucy Ng’endo noted that the county is preparing to use the event to further elevate Uasin Gishu’s reputation as a sporting giant.
“As the city of champions we have all it takes because this event will also motivate our young people to join cycling as a sport,” said Ng’endo.
The event will bring to the city hundreds of participants especially cyclists from across the continent.
Cyclists representing African countries will battle it out for the men’s and women’s titles. Each country will be represented by 8 athletes from each category.
Last year, Golazo Sports in partnership with the Confederation of African Cycling (CAC), held the cycling championship in Ghana where at least 22 countries participated.
This year as event according to the official schedule the individual time trial event will take place today (Wednesday) with the start point at the Uasin Gishu county headquarters.
Tomorrow (Thursday) there will be the Team Time Trial Mixed Relay and the MaMa Cycling Mass Event. On Friday there will be the Junior Men and Women Event, followed by the Elite and Under 23 Women event. Sunday will be the final day with the Elite and U23 Men events taking place.
