Africa’s First women’s Continental Cycling Team, Team Amani, to Launch in 2026
Team Amani will become the first-ever women’s Continental cycling team based in africa, debuting in the spring of 2026. The team aims to compete at the highest levels of the sport,managed and supported entirely from the African continent.
The project’s core mission extends beyond athletic growth, seeking to establish a self-sufficient African team capable of challenging the world’s best. Rwandan time trial champion Xaverine Nirere is confirmed as a rider, with a roster of additional East African racers yet to be announced.
“Establishing this team with ambitions to race competitively in the biggest races in the world within three years feels like a watershed moment for our project,” said Team Amani co-founder Mikel Delagrange. “We’ve always believed that with like-for-like resources, our athletes could compete with the best. We set out a moonshot trajectory with enterprising milestones. It just so happens that our ladies hit them first.”
Team Amani intends to provide opportunities for African female cyclists,removing limitations and paving the way for future generations. “Our message to the young women on our team is that the only limitation they have now is that of their own imaginations,” Delagrange added. ”Trailblazers have the hard work of cutting paths where none previously existed. But once the path is paved, many will follow. That’s why this moment is so consequential – not just for the women on this team but also for the future of the sport.”
