(AFRICA CYCLING REVOLUTION)
(GOMA - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO)
There are five of us in my family.
I am the father of four children -
one daughter and three sons.
We live here.
Their mother died 11 months ago.
When I first told my parents about cycling...
..they thought it was a joke.
They didn't take it seriously, but I started cycling anyway.
Daniel started cycling without telling me.
Whatever God decides for him,
I will be happy.
Daniel, go well and be strong.
OK, bye!
I would love to represent Congo
in the Olympic Games.
Today's training is in two parts - first relaxation.
and then everybody flat-out, as usual.
Everyone in top gear.
Watch out for the tshukudus. Watch out for the cars.
Watch out for the motorbikes.
I could say that I'm the father of cycling
in this province.
Cycling started in the Congo through the Belgian colonisers.
For them it was a noble sport,
but cycling was only for white people.
Seeing young people training, I started training with them
and at the end of the process, we created a club.
It's not cycling for cycling.
If we can have champions, that's very good.
If we can't have them, then the others,
be able to do other things for their personal
and their community development.
The tshukudu is a heritage from the Nyiragongo territory,
where the volcano is.
In Goma, we can remember the time of the 2002 eruption.
The residents of Goma know how to live alongside the volcano.
That's how it is.
In the past,
what was even more interesting were the tshukudu races.
It's a troubled province.
All the wars in this country are present here
in Goma North Kivu.
We are permanently at war.
People suffer here terribly.
We live with uncertainty.
We are at danger because of insecurity,
not only because of weapons,
but also when our riders are on the roads in Goma.
In North Kivu, cycling is a new discipline
which has been growing for the last three years.
The culture of cycling is not yet in people's lives here,
because we don't have sponsors.
We don't have supporters, we don't have champions.
We don't have everything we need to train our cyclists.
So they will ride sometimes to cross the border to Rwanda,
where they can have everything.
Attention, attention!
In Rwanda, they have a lot of hills and slopes,
so that's good for me,
because I want to be an uphill cyclist.
It helps me a lot.
I liked Daniel
the moment I met him.
I think this centre is a really good school.
When it comes to training, he does that really well.
If he keeps doing so well,
he could become a professional.
The first Congolese product of this centre is Daniel.
I brought him to the centre.
I want to make him a great rider.
We wondered how a young man coming from nowhere,
from the back of beyond,
could join and train with other East Africans.
And we started to take an interest in him.
Congo is now supporting cycling and people love it.
Sometimes they even organise competitions.
When it comes to organising a race here, it's challenging.
You have people crossing the road everywhere,
cars everywhere, police trying to do what they can do.
You are not sure that, at the end of the race,
you'll have everyone alive.
Our mission is to win this race,
but against the Rwandans, I have my doubts.
I'm here in Goma to supervise today's race,
which is the Grand Prix against climate change.
My dream is that one day
I will be invited to one of the great tours,
like the Tour de France, the Vuelta de España
or the Giro d'Italia.
and to become a champion like Nairo Quintana or Chris Froome.
It's the second edition
of the Tour for Peace and the Environment.
It's to show the world that we exist
and that cycling is practised here.
Cycling has become a universal sport
and soon it will be bigger than football.
I was ninth.
We made it to the finish line.
It was hard, but we made it.
I will continue training and getting stronger in Rwanda.
There are two winners.