The victory of Girmay at Ghent-Wevelgem It could not be an end in itself and is instead unleashing a tsunami that is affecting the entire African continent. If the Rwanda is becoming a destination for pre-season training camps and we are working hard for the 2025 World Cup, there is a piece of news that has not yet received the media attention it deserves: the Ineos Grenadiers is about to launch its first cycling academy in Kenya.
The permanent camp will be managed by Valentijn Trouw, one of the technicians of the British multinational who already has strong ties with the African country, being among other things the sponsor of the world record holder and Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, directly involved in the project. The connection with athletics is very strong, because it was precisely in athletics that training camps began to take hold in Kenya, effectively transforming the country, at least from a sporting perspective.
The first person who had the idea of creating a permanent academy in Kenya was Gabriele Pink, cardiologist and sports doctor who had created a marathon school capable of carrying Gianni Poli to triumph in the most famous 42,195 km race, the one in New York. What he had achieved in the Italian provinces could be achieved in even greater style in Kenya, the country par excellence for running: "The Kenyans were already very strong then, but they didn't run the marathon. Moses Tanui, who was one of the great middle-distance riders of the time, asked me if I could follow him. I said yes, on the condition that he convince other athletes from his country to follow him. Thus, the first permanent center in Kenya was born in 1990.».
Many then followed his idea…
It has had a resounding growth; just think that after thirty years, Kenya is the undisputed master of the discipline: in the last year, 83 percent of all international marathons have been won by a Kenyan athlete. I started with a small group; now we have 13 of our training camps spread across the country, involving over 200 young people.
How does their work work?
We don't just follow the race, ours is a 360° operation. Running fast is just the latest achievement of a journey that includes being together, sharing work, and facing the daily grind of life. The kids are experiencing personal growth, not just sporting growth, and I'm convinced this system can work in cycling too.
What kind of country is Kenya from a cycling point of view?
Let's start with a purely social discussion: the bicycle has always been a fundamental means of transport in the lives of Kenyans. When we arrived, we saw that they were using Chinese bikes with which they could do everything, loaded like donkeys, they were used to move and carry weights.Small motorcycles are also widely used now, and are already available for 500 euros, but bicycles are still widely used. However, there's one very important aspect that has changed since then: China, which has very strong ties with Kenya, is paving practically all the roads and doing very well.For us athletics athletes, this is a problem for training, because we need to run off-road to grow, but for cycling, it's becoming an ideal place.
Kenya has never been a country with a tradition…
No, running is the main sport, now joined by women's volleyball. However, there's great excitement across the continent, and it's important to keep in mind that African riders in general—Kenyans, but also Ethiopians, Eritreans, Burundians, etc.—have an innate propensity for endurance sports. The results of the Eritrean riders don't surprise me. I am convinced that by working on it as Ineos will do (and soon other teams and especially companies will follow the same path) Africa will become very strong in cycling too.
What are the advantages of building training camps in Kenya rather than Eritrea and Rwanda, which are already more familiar with cycling?
The area. You can train at 3.000 meters above sea level. Kaptagat, where Ineos will build its academy, is also the location of our first and main training camp. There are ideal training routes, but the management of these centers is also top-notch, with specialized chefs, constant cleaning, and so on. Over time, small, very quaint and comfortable hotels have sprung up around them.
In athletics, Kenya has also become a destination for many riders, including those from Italy, to conduct their altitude training camps. Could this also happen in cycling?
I am convinced so, but not only for professional teams. All things considered, it could also be an excellent system for youth teams, especially under 23s, to carry out preparation periods at much lower costs. (Travel aside, of course) and being able to do much more productive work. I've already been involved in cycling, for example following Beppe's Hour record attempts. Keep it and Gregor Brown In the 1980s and 1990s, I'm thinking about how our facilities could also be expanded to include cycling. The results, after all, speak for themselves: the world marathon record holder is one of our athletes...
