Historic Team Amani women's squad aims for Tour de France Femmes by 2028
Team Amani will launch Africa's first-ever women's UCI continental team in 2026, with the ambitious goal of competing in the Tour de France Femmes, Giro d'Italia Women, and Vuelta a España Feminina by 2028.
The Ethiopian-registered squad features riders from Ethiopia and Rwanda who showed promise at the 2025 Pupkewitz Megabuild Windhoek Women Tour -Africa's only UCI women's race - securing two stage wins and a 1-2-3 overall finish led by Rwanda's Xaverine Nirere.
Founded in 2020 to address inequality in cycling, the Amani Project already runs men's road and gravel programs. The women's team is backed by sponsors including Factor, POC, and Rapha, and has recruited South African star Ashleigh Moolman Pasio as mentor and ambassador.
"Rather than following the traditional model of sending African riders to Europe and hoping they adapt, Amani is building high-performance infrastructure in Africa," Moolman Pasio explained, emphasizing sustainable development before creating European pathways.
The squad begins European competition in spring 2026, a first for most riders. While reaching the sport's pinnacle within three years is an enormous challenge, co-founder Mikel Delagrange sees it as validating their belief that African athletes can compete at the highest level with proper resources. The team officially launches at Rouleur Live in London this Thursday.
