(AFRICA CYCLING REVOLUTION)
(TSEAZEGA VILLAGE, ERITREA)
We are just farmers.
At first I didn't know anything about cycling.
My plan was to make good farmers.
(SOLOMON DEBESAY, FARMER)
I never saw this coming.
My name is Mosana Debesay Abraham,
I am elite road cyclist.
(MOSANA DEBESAY, CYCLING ROAD - ERITREA NATIONAL TEAM)
(GOLD MEDAL - ALL AFRICAN GAMES 2015)
Cycling has a long history in Eritrea.
It even continued
during wars and hard times.
We inherited that from the Italians.
(ERITREA, THE CYCLING DYNASTY)
(ASMARA, ERITREA)
Cycling was brought to Eritrea by the Italian colonisers.
In 1936, only Italians owned bikes.
(YEMANE NEGASSI, TWO TIMES OLYMPIAN)
(ERITREAN CYCLING FOUNDATION)
Locals started cycling mid-1940s.
This bike was my great-grandfather's.
(MEHARI TESFAY, MECHANIC)
It is a Windsor, made in Italy.
It has worked for 60 years without a problem.
All our children and our brothers
have learnt to ride on this bike.
Everybody gets around by bike.
All Eritrean children know how to ride a bike.
Sport is a form of competitive struggle...
When we refer to competitive sports,
"Berbere" competed against the Italians,
and this came to represent the fight against colonialism
at that critical time.
Cycling has a long history in Eritrea,
races were held every weekend.
And I watched them
with my mates,
Yemane Tekeste, Zeregabir...
(SAMSOM SOLOMON, COACH OF THE NATIONAL TEAM OF ERITREA)
Cheering on the best riders at that time.
They inspired me to start cycling.
I started cycling in 1962.
(OLYMPIC GAMES, TOKYO 1964)
Two years later, when I was 18,
I was lucky enough to be in the 1964 Olympics.
This is my greatest achievement,
the best moment of my life.
If I compare those days
I started with now,
it makes me very happy
to see the progress.
To be the first Eritrean woman in the Olympics
is my big dream.
In our culture, girls are not encouraged to take up cycling.
People think girls should stay at home all the time.
That has impacted the number of female riders in Eritrea.
I even have had negative comments from other families.
She can decide what is best for her.
Frekalsi drew the whole family into cycling.
My brothers were my greatest inspiration to start cycling.
The Debesays are
a very successful family.
They are a strong, healthy family.
It was very surprising.
One day Mekseb, when he was in the third division,
out-lapped all the others.
(MEKSEB DEBESAY, CYCLING ROAD - TEAM DIMENSION DATA)
(BEST AFRICAN RIDER AWARD 2014)
Yes, he out-lapped everyone, and won the race alone.
Then the organisers asked him to stop the race,
and he won.
(TOUR OF ERITREA 2013)
When I won the title of Best African Rider 2014,
that year brought a lot of changes in my life.
(TOUR OF RWANDA 2014)
The happiest moment for me was
when I became professional with Team Dimension Data.
The two oldest have retired,
Mosana is joining a continental team.
Mekseb, in a couple of years,
could be one of the best professional cyclists.
They also support each other as a family.
I think that is the key to their success.
I believe Mosana will be successful,
as well as my younger brother Yakob.
Respected fellow Eritreans, in today's programme,
after several races,
Merhawi Kudus has returned home.
- Welcome back, Merhawi. - Thank you, Ema.
You have raced in the Tour de France
as the youngest participant,
also in the Vuelta a Espana and the Giro d'Italia.
(MERHAWI KUDUS, CYCLING ROAD - TEAM DIMENSION DATA)
(FIRST AFRICAN RIDER IN TOUR DE FRANCE)
I'm really excited to finish and to make history,
especially with Daniel,
we are the first African riders in the Tour de France.
If I finish that race,
it means I make some big history.
We started the celebration, it was really amazing.
(BEREKET MENGISTEAB "DANIEL AND MERHAWI")
I am lucky to see our cycling reach this level...
(DANIEL TEKLEHAIMANOT, ROAD CYCLING - TEAM DIMENSION DATA)
(FIRST OLYMPIAN ERITREAN CYCLIST)
There are young people coming up.
(OLYMPIC GAMES, RIO 2016)
We have faith that what we are doing will lead to the top,
so we have to keep working in this direction.
Daniel's result in Rio de Janeiro
was by far the best record.
For sure, the altitudes here of up to 2,400 metres help us.
It is an important factor in our success in cycling.
That is why we have the best climbers in Africa.
The ride from Asmara to Massawa is mostly downhill.
(ASMARA - MASSAWA 65 KM DESCENT)
Down from 2,400 to 200 metres.
The road is mostly downhill with a number of turns.
My dream is to work hard
and race in great tours.
I hope from next year, you know,
that I am for the podium, or that I am for results.
My biggest dream is to go to France.
I have never imagined myself at this level.
Victory demands great sacrifice
and commitment.
When you struggle, you can't give up.
You have to keep going.
(ELHAM MOHAMED, "RIDE")