Vekta partners with Team AMANI in their mission to build the future of African cycling.

Professional cycling has always been shaped by geography. Access to racing, coaching, facilities, and data has historically favoured a narrow slice of the world. Talent exists everywhere, but opportunity rarely does. That gap is where careers are made, and just as often, quietly lost.

Team AMANI have spent the past five years challenging that truth in the hardest possible arena: elite cycling. Their goal has been clear from the beginning. Create viable pathways for African riders. Remove the barriers that limit opportunity. Build a structure that can last, grow, and support future generations.

Today, Vekta joins that journey as Team AMANI’s Official Training and Coaching Platform for the next three years. This partnership is not about logos or sponsorship headlines. It is about building the performance environment required to close the gap between potential and results. It is about giving Team AMANI athletes and staff a unified system that supports consistency, clarity, and long term development. And it is about contributing to an African led performance ecosystem that stands on its own foundations.

The Next Chapter for Team AMANI

Team AMANI have entered a new chapter with the launch of their UCI women’s team, expanding their vision and the scale of their programme. The team has set clear ambitions to reach the sport’s biggest races in the coming years, including the Tour de France Femmes, the Giro d’Italia Donne, and La Vuelta Femenina. It is a significant step forward and one that brings new demands for structure and support. We are proud to join them at this moment and provide the performance environment their riders and coaches need as they take this next step.

“Team AMANI is redefining what’s possible for African cyclists, and we’re incredibly proud to be a part of such an exciting mission. At Vekta we are firm believers that elite performance shouldn’t be limited by geography, background, or access. By bringing advanced AI and high-quality coaching tools to Team AMANI’s riders and staff, we’re helping level the playing field and create sustainable opportunities for athletes across the continent.”

Paul-Antoine Girard, Co-founder and CEO of Vekta

Supporting Performance and Pathways

The partnership brings together two connected pieces of work. One supports Team AMANI’s day to day performance, giving riders and coaches a single system for training and development. The other looks further ahead, helping the team identify and support the next generation of cyclists across Africa.

1. Strengthening Daily Training and Coaching

Team AMANI will use Vekta as their training and coaching platform, giving riders and coaches a single environment to plan training, analyse sessions, monitor readiness, support recovery, and stay aligned across the programme. It brings all of their daily work into one place, creating the consistency and clarity a growing performance team needs. As Team AMANI steps into their next chapter, Vekta becomes the foundation that supports how they train, prepare, and progress together, wherever each rider is based.

2. Identifying and Supporting the Next Generation

A core part of Team AMANI’s mission is building a pathway for the next generation of riders across Africa. Together, we are developing a talent ID platform with the tools and models needed to scout and understand young athletes across the region, from the first signs of potential to long term progression. The aim is simple. Identify the riders who can shape the future of the sport here, support them early, and ensure there are viable pathways for African riders to reach the highest levels of cycling.

‘Everyone knows about East Africa as a running hotbed, but the potential that it holds for cycling is incredible. With our presence in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, the DRC, Ethiopia, and Mauritius, we have an unbelievable pool of untapped young talent. Together with Vekta, we are working to develop a talent ID platform with the tools and models necessary to scout and identify the best young men and women from across the region to build the future of the sport here. These are the riders who will one day be racing, and winning, at the highest level. It is a daunting challenge, but together with Vekta we are ready to take it on.”

Owen Searle, Team AMANI

Building Something That Lasts

The story of Team AMANI has always been about more than a single team. It is about building opportunity where it has been missing, creating systems where none existed before, and giving riders the support they need to fulfil their potential. The launch of their UCI women’s squad is a milestone that shows where the programme is heading.

Our partnership is one part of that foundation, a long term commitment to supporting Team AMANI with the clarity and structure that can strengthen the performance environment around their programme.

Together, we are helping build a future where African cyclists are defined not by limited access, but by the opportunity and pathways they deserve.

No Permission Needed: Xaverine Nirere

To understand what this mission looks like on the ground, Team AMANI have shared the story of Xaverine Nirere, one of the riders shaping the future of the programme. Her journey captures the spirit of everything this partnership aims to support.