Cameroon Int’l Cycling Tour kicks off in Maroua today.

The series is set to hold between Maroua and Mora in the Far North Region. The opening lap will tip off in Maroua in Diamaré Division to Mora in Mayo-Sava Division and back to Maroua.

The launch of the race will follow the conclusion of pre-competition formalities including the official presentation of the various participating delegations. 

The delegations were unveiled in Maroua yesterday. This was during an event chaired by the Minister of Sports and Physical Education, Prof Narcisse Mouelle Kombi.

The various officials in charge of the organisation of the competition are all also in place for the show 11-day race which effectively runs from June 4 to June 15.

French man, Nicolas Philippon, who will be in charge of operating the photo finish tool has been in Cameroon since Sunday June 1. 

The arrival followed that of Portugal’s Paula Martins who will be the race commissioner in the competition. 

Martins will be the first ever woman to serve as commissioner since the Cameroon International Cycling Tour was introduced over two decades ago.

Tenteams on starting bloc

Some 60 cyclists are expected to compete in the 2025 race. The cyclists are grouped in 10 teams. The outfits include three teams from Cameroon, four clubs from other African nations and three clubs from Europe.

Team Cameroon’s three teams which jointly has a total of 18 Cameroonian cyclists is made up of old guards, the National Cycling Team of Cameroon led by ace cyclist, Boris Michel Tientcheu and the cycling outfit of National Hydrocarbons Corporations, SNH Velo Club captained by serial winner, Clovis Kamzong Abossolo.

Espoir du Mboa under the management of former Cameroonian cyclist, Hervé Raoul Mba, is the new name among the Cameroonian teams. 

It also boasts of six participating cyclists captained by 23-year-old Mekem Tsakou Jordan. 

The national cycling teams of Benin, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire represent the four other African clubs that are on the starting bloc for the event.

The Global Regional Cycling Team of the Netherlands, Storck Metropol Cycling of Germany and Poland’s Ufusport cycling club make up the three European outfits in the series.

The race runs from June 4 to June 15. Cyclists featuring in the event will cover a distance of 1088.72km across 10 laps.

The final lap will be held from Ngoulemakong in the South Region to Yaounde in the Center Region on Sunday June 15 with a distance of 108.1km. 

The first three laps cover the northern part of the country especially the two regional capitals, Maroua and Garoua in the Far North and North regions and other smaller localities like Mora and Figuil. 

Cameroon hoping to retain crown

Cameroonian cyclist, Clovis Kamzong Abossolo is the defending champion of the 2025 race.

The 33-year-old SNH Velo Club team captain has won the competition a record three times and holds four winners’ medals in the Cameroon International Cycling Tour and the Chantal Biya International Cycling Tour combined.

He will enter the race hoping to better the record with yet another successful bid in the competition.

The president of the Cameroon Cycling Federation, FECACYLING, Honore Yossi in an interview ahead of the start of the event today said the federation is hoping to see a Cameroonian bag the prestigious yellow jersey when the event closes on Sunday June 15.

Beyond the target of seeing Cameroonian cyclists succeed in the race, the sport executive says the federation also has particular eyes on cyclists of Espoir du Mboa team who are mostly youngsters and taking their first steps in professional cycling.

“Modern cycling requires that cyclists begin competing very early enough so that they can adapt to the sport. We think this is an opportunity that is going to make the young cyclists to develop further and faster,” Honore Yossi said.

“It will also have a larger impact on the general cycling space in Cameroon by unearthing and grooming youngsters who will take over the relay from the legendary Kamzong Abossolo without any difficulty.   That is the reason why the youngsters trained intensively for a period of five months before they were brought on board for this challenge. Medical check ups and other pre-competition requirements were also met,” the FECACYCLING boss further stressed.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3464 of Wednesday June 04, 2025