Veteran Kinjah calls for more support as home riders fade 

Hosts Kenya found the going tough on the second day of the  Confederation of Africa Cycling Road Championships in Eldoret City in Uasin Gishu County Thursday, finishing sixth and last in the mixed relay.

Following the results thus far veteran Kenyan cyclist David Kinjah called out for more support to improve the fortunes of the country in the sport.

Rwanda showed why they are considered a powerhouse in African cycling topping the race with a time of 1:00:06 ahead of the competition favourite Eritrea, who clocked 1:00:45 while Ethiopia finished third in 1:01:09 to seal the podium positions.

Despite the vocal support from the home fans who enthusiastically lined the Eldoret roads to support the Kenyan riders, they could only manage to register a time of  1:05:12 as Uganda came in fourth and Morocco fifth.

The home riders were Joseph Kamau, Kinjah, Ephantus Warutere, Nancy Akinyi, Monica Kiplagat and Kendra Tabu.

Friday will see junior women and junior men compete in road races.  Junior men will cover 100km and junior women 66km in a circuit around Eldoret.

Kinjah, a coach with Safari Simbas, and who has been the face of Kenyan elite cycling for many years, challenged the national cycling federation and the government to support the sport in the country for good results.

He said that the results that have been seen in the last two days clearly shows that there is a lot that needs to be done so that Kenya can be able to match the rest of the world, or at least Africa.

“The continental event that is happening here in Kenya is motivating. It shall inspire many upcoming youths who want to join cycling and make it a career. Many have been terming the competition as something meant for the Western countries but they have seen that we can also participate.

“The results have shown that there is some work that needs to be done and also the community to give us the necessary support so that we can do well in forthcoming competitions,” said Kinjah, who is still racing at the ripe age of 52.

Warutere, who trains in Naromoru in Nyeri, said that the event has shown that Kenya has a lot of ground to cover catch up.

Representing Kenya for the second time after competing in a mountain race in Namibia in 2022, he said he has been growing gradually and was looking forward to elite men’s road race on Sunday.

Uasin Gishu County Governor Jonathan Bii called on residents to line the roads and support the riders. “This is an opportunity for us to show our pride and hospitality, proving that Uasin Gishu is a powerhouse in the world of sports not only in athletics but also in cycling,” said the governor.