Dylan Bettencourt
Adelphine Nimfasha spent most of her days carrying as much as double her weight in rice on her back while riding her father’s bicycle.
This task proved useful in letting the Burundian teenager become a professional cyclist.
Adelphine came sixth in Africa’s inaugural women’s cycling competition held in her country.
The 19-year-old led for the majority of the race, but a costly fall sent her down the leaderboard. The cyclist said is nonetheless proud of her efforts.
“I didn’t give up but rose up. I took my bicycle and proceeded to finish the race,” she said.
Adelphine’s ability to get back up after taking a fall, while in the lead and still finish the race in sixth place earnt her the event’s “combativity” award.
The sport of cycling is gaining major traction in Burundi with bicycles being a major mode of transport in the daily lives of many citizens but accessibility to the required resources is limited for the majority of those who wish to pursue a career in cycling.
Cycling coach Prosper Ngenzirabona said ordinary bicycles are not suitable and there are financial problems.
“Organising training takes a lot of money to accommodate and feed participants for three or four months,” he said.
Hosting the inaugural women’s cycling competition has many cyclists hoping for a change of fortune when it comes to their dreams as athletes.
“We trained for three weeks while others trained for three months,” said Adelphine who said more training will help the team secure podium finishes.
She said she was lucky that in her childhood she was not discouraged from cycling as many women in other parts of the country are.
“My parents would send me to fetch water and carry rice from the fields at the harvest and I could pack up to 150 or 120 kilos of rice. My father didn’t hire other workers. I was the one transporting it,” she said.
Adelphine’s goal is to one day compete on the international stage and someday make it to the Olympics like her compatriot Francine Niyonsaba who won silver in Rio 2016.
Image source: @MyWinet
