For five days this October, Kisumu’s roads will become a continental sporting arena, with national teams competing to produce Africa’s next cycling champions.
The city will host the 2026 African Road Cycling Championships from October 21 to 25. Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o says more than 300 elite competitors from over 30 African countries are expected, with competition across 15 race categories.
But what exactly is this championship? Is it one long bicycle race, who can enter, and has Kenya hosted it before?
What are the African Road Cycling Championships?
The championships bring together riders representing African countries to compete for continental titles in different road-cycling disciplines.
Held under the Confederation of African Cycling, commonly abbreviated as CAC, the competition includes men’s and women’s events across junior, under-23 and elite categories.
Riders are selected by their national cycling federations and race in their country’s colours. This makes the championship a national-team competition, even where individual cyclists normally ride for professional clubs.
Winners earn the right to wear the African champion’s jersey in the relevant discipline and category, subject to cycling rules. The title therefore carries significance beyond the medal ceremony in the host city.
It is several races, each with a different challenge
The five-day programme does not produce one overall winner based on the combined time across every day. Instead, riders compete for separate titles.
Individual time trials test a rider’s speed against the clock. Cyclists start separately, and the fastest time determines the winner. Unlike a mass-start race, competitors cannot rely on riding in a large group to conserve energy.
Road races bring riders together at the start. The first eligible rider across the finish line wins, but getting there involves more than pedalling hard. Teams can protect a leading rider, chase opponents or launch attacks intended to break away from the main group.
Riding close behind another cyclist reduces wind resistance, which helps explain why competitors often travel in a tightly packed group before the race breaks apart.
The mixed team relay brings male and female riders into a team time-trial contest, making the collective performance decisive.
All three formats appear in Kisumu’s published programme.
Where else has it been held?
Kisumu joins a championship that has travelled across the continent. Recent hosts include:
| Year | Host location | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Sharm el-Sheikh | Egypt |
| 2023 | Accra | Ghana |
| 2024 | Eldoret | Kenya |
| 2025 | Diani–Kwale area | Kenya |
| 2026 | Kisumu, scheduled for October | Kenya |
The earlier editions place Kisumu within an established continental competition. Kenya’s recent hosting sequence takes the event from the Rift Valley to the Coast and now to the Lake Victoria region.
Kisumu will therefore mark Kenya’s third consecutive year hosting the championships, following Eldoret in 2024 and Kwale in 2025.
Who won the last edition?
At the 2025 championships, Eritrea’s Merhawi Kudus won the men’s elite road race, while South Africa’s Hayley Preen won the women’s elite road race.
The results underline the range of countries competing for continental honours. They also give spectators useful names to recognise, although their participation in Kisumu should await confirmation through the entry lists.
What can spectators expect in Kisumu?
The published schedule begins with individual time trials on October 21. A mixed relay and youth road races follow on October 22, before junior road races on October 23.
The women’s elite and under-23 road race is scheduled for October 24 over 122.2 kilometres. The men’s equivalent follows on October 25 over 175.2 kilometres.
Residents also have a way to participate: a 20.4-kilometre social ride, currently scheduled for 9am on October 24. This is listed separately from the championship races.
For spectators, the experience will vary by event. Time trials offer a succession of individual riders, while road races can bring a fast-moving group followed by smaller chasing groups and support vehicles.
Temporary road restrictions will be necessary. Organisers have identified several affected roads, including Oginga Odinga Road, Jomo Kenyatta Highway and the Kisumu–Busia and Kisumu–Vihiga roads. Residents should follow updated notices and instructions from police and race marshals.
Is this the same event Rwanda hosted?
No. Kigali hosted the UCI Road World Championships in September 2025, becoming the first African city to stage that global competition.
Kisumu’s event determines African continental champions. The World Championships bring together national teams from across the world to compete for world titles.
For Kisumu, October’s championship offers a chance to see international road cycling close up: the individual effort of a time trial, the tactics of a road race and the national pride behind a continental title.
