Kenya finished fifth in the mixed team relay at the African Road Cycling Championships in Kisumu on Thursday, while Uganda failed to finish the race.
The Kenyan team of Evan Kimani, Billy Mbolo Mangwana, Davis Kamau, Dinna Kamonya, Kendra Tabu and Monica Kiplagat clocked 59 minutes 30 seconds in the 40.8km race.
South Africa won gold in 56:04, dethroning defending champions Mauritius, who took silver in 56:17. Rwanda completed the podium, winning bronze in 56:30.
South African rider Lucy Young said the men’s team set the pace before the women took over and maintained their advantage to secure victory.
“The boys started us off. They had the fastest time out of all the countries, and then the girls picked it up from there. We were amazing!” she said.
Young described the course as technically demanding, with riders needing to master its corners to achieve a good time.
“The course is very technical. I would not say it is a normal individual time trial course, but once you learn the corners, it is good,” she said.
Rwanda’s Eric Muhoza said his team had to adjust after one of their riders fell ill during the opening lap, leaving the remaining two to continue the race.
“The race was tough. We lost our teammate in the first lap, so we had to do with just two of us. The cyclist was not feeling well,” he said.
Muhoza said the course’s numerous corners and road bumps made the race particularly challenging, forcing riders to brake frequently before accelerating out of each turn.
“The course was tough, with a lot of corners. You have to brake and then accelerate hard after each corner. There are also lots of bumps,” he said.
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