The 18th edition of the Chantal Biya International Cycling Tour will take place from September 26 to 30, 2018. Ahead of this important event preparations have begun in the country.
Organisers are living no stone unturned to ensure a hitch-free event. Organised by the Cameroon Cycling Federation (FECACYCLISME) the competition will bring together some 15 teams from Europe and Africa.
The teams from Africa are Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon and Rwanda. The teams from Europe are England, Belgium, Holland and Slovakia. Cameroon will be represented by three teams.
The innovations for this year include the introduction of the Nanga-Eboko lap. The 2018 edition will also witness the first ever participation of women since inception in 2001. Apart from that the race has become a major source of attraction for cyclists in the world and is one of Africa’s most significant cycling races.
The race will be run in five laps covering a distance of 699km. In order to ensure an honourable participation in this year’s race, national preparatory race has been slated for September 1, 2018 in Yaounde.
The race which concerns the senior category will be open to cyclists from the 10 regions of Cameroon. The departure and arrival of the race will be at the Château d’eau” Ngoa- Ekelle at 9:00 a.m.
Two competitions have been programmed: one individual time trial 6,4km) and a closed circuit of 96km. The President of FECACYCLISME, Honoré Yossi said the objective is to prepare for the Chantal Biya International Cycling Race.
The Technical Adviser of the International Cyclist Union (UCI), Laurent Bezault, who was in Cameroon for a fourday working visit expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness and expressed the wish that certain details concerning the organization of the competition be completed before the start of the race. Laurent Bezault will be back in the country for the competition alongside race commissioner, Bilbao Zabala J. Santiago.
The 18th edition of the Chantal Biya Grand Prix International Cycling race is registered in the « Africa Tour » calendar of the International Cyclist Union.