Leemisa Thuseho

THE Federation of Cycling Lesotho (FCL) has finally received bicycles and other cycling equipment from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) headquarters in Switzerland.

The equipment arrived in the country. It had been stuck in South Africa since January this year. The FCL applied for it in 2019 and the application was granted last year. It arrived in South Africa in January this year but the FCL did not have funds to transport it from South Africa. However, the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) ended up financing the shipping.

FCL president Rammotang Makatile confirmed to this publication that the equipment was now in Lesotho. He said they would soon announce dates when they will unveil it.

“We have received equipment from UCI and is currently at the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC),” Makatile said.

The equipment includes mountain and road racing bicycles, cycling attire, bottles, tyres, tubes and other cycling accessories.

“We applied for the assistance from the UCI Solidarity Project like any other country and since Lesotho had performed well in international competitions in 2019, our proposal for the assistance was approved last year.”

Makatile said they were assisted financially by the LNOC to transport the equipment from Durban. LNOC also paid for customs duties.

He said the equipment will be used to enhance the growth of cycling across all levels. Instead of being distributed to cyclists across the country, it will remain in the custody of the association.

“We are going to use this equipment for national teams’ programmes and we will use the bicycles for international competitions.

“It will also be used for women and youth empowerment as well as talent identification activities. We are looking forward to receiving a grant from UCI to finance our programmes, especially talent identification and women empowerment activities,’’ Makatile said.