The Image Professional Sports Club (IP Sports Club) of Dar es Salaam will stage the first ‘District Cycling Challenge’ race, scheduled to be held in Mbeya Urban on May 1, this year.
The coordinator, from IP Sports Club, Abdallah Chapa, told the ‘Daily News’ that the race will be the inaugural of ten district cycling challenges that is being organised by the club this year. “We are organising the Mbeya Urban cycling challenge on May 1, 2014.
It will be the first stage of ten series, in which nine of them are in Mbeya region and one in Makete District of Njombe Region.
This will be before the ‘Zonal Challenge’ and international ‘Race to Matema’ which will be held later this year,” he said. Chapa added that the 100 kilometres race will involve male and female riders.
He said that during the tournament 10 men and five women will qualify for the Zonal Challenge race, which is to be held this coming July.
The coordinator said that the Mbeya Urban race will be followed by the Momba Cycling Challenge on May 3 and a day later the race will turn to Chunya.
According to the organisers, the race will also be held in Makete, Momba, Mbalali, Mbozi, Mbeya Rural, Ileje, Rungwe and Kyela districts.
He said that they learned more from three stages of recent ‘Cycle Challenge Promotions’ races in Mbeya and Njombe regions. “We had successful Cycle Challenge Promotions in Momba, Mbarali and Makete districts and now we are gearing- up for the real championship,” he said.
Chapa added that those previous races were aimed at promoting cycling, as a sport together with boosting awareness and readiness for the coming districts and zonal events.
He added that currently the preparations are in top gear and all that is being waited is for the race to take place.
He also confirmed that his club is still looking for sponsors and well-wishers to assist the event, which he maintains also has the benefit of creating jobs for youths.
Source Tanzania Daily News