One of Africa’s biggest races has started this week in Gabon, with the first stage of the Tropicale Amissa Bongo being won by Tunisia’s Rafaa Chtioui of the Sky Dive Dubai team.
The race was first organised in 2006 with Jussi Veikanen of Francaise des Jeux taking the first win. Members of the French team would take victory in the next three editions. Since 2010, the race has been won by the Bbox Bouygues Telecom team or Team Europcar as it’s known now. Anthony Charteau managed to win the race three times in a row during that time. The most recent winner is Natnael Berhane of Eritrea.
The race provides an opportunity for African riders to test themselves against some top European teams. Amongst the national teams taking part are Gabon, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Cameroon. The teams who have traveled from Europe include Europcar, Bretagne-Séché Environnement and Wanty-Groupe Gobert.
For more information, check out the race’s website: http://www.tropicaleamissabongo.com/
This short video provides a flavour of what the race is like.
