African Mountain Bike Championships

I want to be the first Lesotho junior rider to compete in African Continental Mountain Bike Championships, not so that my name can hit the headlines, but that I want to see my country of birth recognised in the world’s cycling events.

I’ve just found out the African Continental MTB Championships for 2013 will be held in South Africa at Pietermaritzburg, a course I already know and that is not far away from my home in Lesotho.  This is a dream I’ve had to raise the flag of Lesotho at events like this that we have never competed in before.  There are only two problems: –

1. Short Notice – the championships are only a few weeks away (09/03/2013)
2. Long Distance – I’m thousands of miles away in Wales at the moment.

Typical Africa (or perhaps cunning South Africans), we only received invitation to the championships last week, with less than 6 weeks to prepare.  Lesotho Cycling runs on an annual budget from April to March and so there may not be any money left for them to send a team – so it may be down to individuals like me to raise the flag.  African Championships are usually in exotic or far away countries and the hope of competing is just a distant dream, but this year the dream is tantalisingly close.

The biggest problem is finances for the air flights.  My parents are missionaries in Lesotho and are not in a position to fork out for the tickets, so I am hoping to find some good-hearted sponsors, benefactors and philanthropists to help out.  The cost of flights is about £630 (R8,000) with British Airways and Virgin, which allow bicycles to be taken as sporting luggage.

Although I have been away for these few months in school in Wales, I still think I have a good chance against in these championships.  The best riders are the South Africans and I have ridden quite a bit against them and I know I can do well.  It is a shame that these are African championships, but most of the riders will be white South Africans, Namibians and Zimbabweans.  I may be the only non-white rider there!

Please consider any way that you can help me achieve this dream, whether personally or by putting me in touch with people who may be sympathetic.