Jonathan's Colorado Success Continues
Jonathan Rafiki continues to prove that he belongs among North America's top young cyclists. In just the past two weeks, the 17-year-old Rwandan Junior National MTB Champion has earned:
2nd Overall – SBT GRVL Red Course
2nd Junior – Ned Gravel Gold Course
Tuesday Night Thunder B Criterium
Colorado State Games Gold Medal – 719 KOM Challenge (Junior Age Group)
2nd Overall – 719 KOM Challenge
At the demanding 719 KOM Challenge, Jonathan captured the Colorado State Games Gold Medal in the Junior division while also finishing an incredible 2nd overall against the entire field. Over 127 kilometers (79 miles) and 2,175 meters (7,136 feet) of climbing, the 17-year-old Rwandan proved he can compete with some of America's strongest cyclists. As part of the Rocky Mountain State Games and Gran Fondo National Series, the 719 KOM Challenge is one of Colorado's premier climbing events and an important stepping stone as Jonathan prepares for the UCI Road World Championships in Montreal.
What makes these results especially exciting is Jonathan's versatility. Whether racing long miles over Colorado gravel, navigating the speed and tactics of a criterium, or attacking steep mountain roads, he continues to adapt and compete for the podium.
Jonathan is just one of many young athletes whose lives are being transformed through Africa Rising Cycling -- thank you! And many thanks to Excel Sports in Boulder for providing his equipment and to all the amazing friends in Colorado who care for Jonathan while he's racing!
Support Young African Cyclists
This summer, Rafiki Uwimana, Jonathan's father and one of the original members of Team Rwanda Cycling, is sharing his expertise as a guest mechanic with Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee Works in Gallup, New Mexico.
Working alongside local mechanics and youth on the Navajo Nation, Rafiki is helping train the next generation of bicycle mechanics in a region where access to bike shops and cycling resources has long been limited. Silver Stallion's mission is to use bicycles to build skills, confidence, and opportunity for young people across the Navajo Nation through mechanic education, mobile repair programs, and youth cycling initiatives. (Silver Stallion Bicycle & Coffee)
But it hasn't been all work. Between wrenching in the shop and mentoring aspiring mechanics, Rafiki has found time to enjoy the incredible desert trails of the American Southwest proving once again that the bicycle has a remarkable way of connecting people, cultures, and communities. Click on the video above or HERE.
Nearly two decades after helping launch cycling in Rwanda, Rafiki is now paying that knowledge forward on another continent, demonstrating that the impact of Africa Rising extends far beyond race results. Every mechanic trained, every bike repaired, and every young person inspired helps create stronger cycling communities around the world.
Miria Nantume's Breakthrough Victory in France
For young riders, there are wins that earn a trophy, and then there are wins that change how you see yourself.
That was the case for Miria of Uganda's Masaka Cycling Club, who captured 1st place among the women at the Route 56 in La Chapelle-Caro, France, on July 19. Racing in a challenging mixed field against men, Miria finished an impressive 24th overall and 1st amongst women. Last year she was 20th in the women's category
"The race was good as it was some really good teamwork by my fellow ladies on the team. We were racing a mixed race with male athletes, so I had to hold on tight in the peloton, which I was really proud of myself for doing. Winning my first race in France was just amazing!"
Miria also credited the guidance of Adrien Niyonshuti and the UCI World Cycling Centre coaching staff, whose tactical briefing before the race helped prepare the riders for success.
Victories like this don't happen overnight. They are built over years of opportunity, coaching, and belief and they are exactly why grassroots programs like Masaka Cycling Club matter. Masaka Cycling Club is also Africa Rising's TOP Virtual Performance Center!
If you'd like to help more young riders like Miria chase their dreams in Uganda, please consider supporting the grassroots work at Masaka Cycling Club. Every contribution helps create opportunities!
Steve Wright donated this GB kit to Team Africa Rising who sent this video and pictures
They look really pleased and there enthusiasm is infectious
24 April: Today was another ground-breaking moment in Trhas’ story. She was invited as a special guest to attend the members’ lunch of The Pedal Club.
The members were truly welcoming and moved by Trhas’ story. Trhas was in esteemed company indeed. The members kindly held a collection to go towards Trhas’ fund and over £800 was raised! Trhas also received a Pedal Club race jersey, a rare and to be treasured gift, and a bag of high quality racing clothing was also donated to be given to a suitable Africa Rising project by one of the members. We truly thank all members of this group for their kindness, support and interest in her story. Trhas’ mentor Alice Lethbridge has also been a honourable guest at their members’ lunch, cycling truly is a small but hugely inclusive community.
– article by Chris Lovibond
Team Africa Donate
Article in Cycling Weekly
In an earlier newsletter, we discussed the void that Team Africa Rising fills and the importance of leveraging and cultivating partnerships to get more kids on bikes for school, transportation, or racing. TAR does what no other organization does, making your support so invaluable.
We want to highlight one of our outstanding partners, a game-changer in our work establishing the Virtual Performance Centers throughout the continent. Re-Cycle in the UK collects gently used bikes, refurbishes them, and partners with local organizations on the ground in Africa to ship a container of bikes. These bikes are then distributed to people on the ground in various countries. TAR became familiar with Re-Cycle a few years ago when we were working with the Lunsar Cycling Team in Sierra Leone and Village Bicycle Project, one of Re-Cycle’s most successful projects.
Across 2025, we have been working with Re-Cycle’s team to help send equipment to places like Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Zambia. For example, this allowed us to get a bunch of Hubs to our friend Nora Richards, an American launching an all-women’s mountain bike team in Zambia.
Team work.
Re-Cycle’s Director, Charlotte Ward, was recently honored as one of the Top 100 Women in Cycling by Cycling UK. Thanks to Charlotte and her team, VPCs will open in Ghana (a second location), Malawi, The Gambia, and Nigeria in 2026. Once the Hubs land in the respective countries, TAR comes back into play, establishing complementary Zwift accounts, donating cassettes and Wahoo Heart Rate Monitors, and bringing the VPC through a certification process. We hope to start seeing the fruits of our partnerships in the 2026 Zwift Racing League by mid next year.
So, we take your donation and, through the partnerships we’ve cultivated, expand its impact exponentially. With gratitude, we ask for your 2025 gift to continue our work into the future.
“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” – Albert Camus
