Gambia to host Grand Prix cycling race

The Gambia Cycling Association in collaboration with the Senegalese Cycling Association are set to stage an international cycling race that will gather cyclists from the two sister nations.

The Grand Prix which is dubbed Senegalese - Gambian Friendship and to be hosted in the country between February 16 and 18, will attract fifty cyclists - the biggest ever cycling competition in the history of both associations.

To ensure that the Grand Prix is a success, two Senegalese Cyclist experts are in the country holding  talks with their Gambian counterparts.

Speaking to journalists, the visitors which include Micheal Thiob, Director Cycling Tour in Senegal, said fifteen Gambian cyclists will join thirty Senegalese cyclists in Dakar where the race will commence towards Banjul between.

The marathon race, according to them, will be in three stages, where the first stage will cover a distance of 192 KM (from Dakar to Kaolack). The second stage will cover a distance of 100 km before the cyclists run for another 60 km in the final stage.

The Senegal duo said the competition will mark a new era of sports integration and cooperation between the two sister nations. They emphasised the need for the two countries to collaborate in all sectors of development, more specially sports.

Bai Ndongo Faal of Gamstar who doubles as Chief Patron of The Gambia Cycling Association, hailed the initiative noting that the event will not only promote sports but also maintain the cordial relations that exist between the two nations.

Faal appealed to the private sector to come and put their weight behind the association to ensure a successful event.

The President of The Gambia Cyclist Association, Abdoulie Touray, believes the Grand Prix will go a long way in rekindling public interest in the trade that has been dormant in recent years.