Evolution Gravel Race Tanzania: Africa’s Most Intense Gravel Race

Five days, 850 kilometers and 10,000 meters of elevation gain in the wild regions of Africa. The Evolution Gravel Race promises to be one of the most difficult challenges of the year. From June 26 to 30, 2022, this 100% gravel stage race will cross all of Tanzania. After a start at the Ngorongoro Crater, riders will pass near sacred Kilimanjaro, before descending to Zanzibar, on the edge of the Indian Ocean.

Source: Press Release. Photos: © EGR – @saltlake_lian

This race features both gravel sections in the savanna and steep climbs in the Tanzanian hinterland. Participants, who come from all over the world, can count on a hot and humid tropical climate, and will live an experience that goes far beyond competition. Both rivals and adventure companions, the best East African athletes will be there. In short: an endurance event for fit cyclists eager for discovery.

The Evolution Gravel Race is much more than a difficult off-road cycling race. It is the second part of the AMANI adventures, after the Migration Gravel Race (MGR, June 18-22, 2022) which took place for the first time last year in Kenya. This race represents the AMANI Project’s first major investment in Tanzania.

An evolution towards inclusion

The AMANI Project, a group of cycling enthusiasts seeking to develop interest in their sport by making it more inclusive, has as its main objective to create racing opportunities for athletes from East African countries, both locally and globally, to showcase their skills on the international stage. For example, in 2020, when travel was impossible, they launched the “Ride Online” initiative. On this occasion, AMANI had indoor trainers delivered to Africa, so that cyclists could train virtually with the international community.

As was the case after the MGR, this initiative also aims to enable East African cyclists to go to Europe to participate in professional cycling races. Top athletes, such as Ide Schelling, have supported these efforts by training with African riders in the Netherlands. True to the motto “if the mountain will not come to Muhammad”, AMANI also organizes competitions on African soil. On these occasions, local athletes have the opportunity to compete against the best gravel athletes in the world, thus developing their network while showcasing their skills to sponsors, without being subject to rigid federation structures, visa complications, or travel constraints.

Like everything it undertakes, AMANI’s initiatives are designed and implemented in close collaboration with local cycling clubs, and benefit from the involvement of local populations in organizing the races. It was the cyclists and clubs themselves who first identified the lack of international racing opportunities as the main barrier to East African athletes entering professional cycling. The Evolution Gravel Race is just one new initiative aimed at creating these home racing opportunities in East Africa.