The Confederation of African Cycling will aim to share best practices and new cycling knowledge at a weeklong international cycling forum in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, from July 30.
The province is geared up and all set to host The Confederation of African Cycling (CAC) international cycling forum, which takes place in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, from 30 July to 6 August 2015. Photo: Craig Dutton/pics2go.co.za
Representatives from Africa’s top cycling nations will take part in activities such as courses for coaches, commissaires and mechanics as well as anti-doping workshops.
The aim of the forum is to strengthen bonds between national federations and cement good corporate governance values for the sport on the continent.
Cycling South Africa president William Newman said the event provided an opportunity for organisations to share information via the UCI African Sharing Platform and to showcase the work they were doing for the sport.
“To build on the magnificent success by Team MTN-Qhubeka at the Tour de France, we have to ensure that all our African federations are geared up for growth and development,” said Newman.
“Equipping federations with this knowledge and good corporate governance tools will go a long way in ensuring that we can manage the influx of riders sparked by the team’s success.”
He said South Africa had a good national programme in place but that more international competitions, specifically for road and track, were needed.
Newman stressed the need for a national road tour on South African soil.
“The KZN Autumn Series is a step in the right direction; hosting three UCI point-scoring road races provides our local riders with a good chance to earn UCI points at home.
“It is all about creating a base so that we can fulfil a mandate to grow our sport and increase competition amongst our top riders.”
He said women’s cycling was also a key focus area on the continent.
“The establishment of women’s commissions at national federation and confederation levels go a long way in growing women’s cycling in Africa.”
In his capacity as CAC track commissioner, Newman said hosting the first African continental track championships in South Africa this year was a step in the right direction.
“Presenting African cyclists with continental championships is critical for the growth of the discipline and helps our riders with their Olympic qualification points and also helps to get them to world championships.”
