AMANI PROJECT MEDIA COVERAGE
MBOGI AMANI FILMS:
JOIN US as we show you a world of cycling never seen before. Follow along this season as Team Amani releases a series of Films on our Youtube Channel.
Rapha Films presents Migration:
A documentary about the Migration Gravel Race, a four day, 650km offroad bike race in the Maasai Mara. Created by Team AMANI and marshalled by local Maasai, the Migration attracts the best gravel bike athletes in the world. This film explores the importance of the event to Team AMANI and their Black Mamba Development Squad; and how they are building the sport in East Africa, nurturing the next generation of endurance athletes on two wheels. Focusing on the riders of Team AMANI and Black Mambas, Migration is an insight into the work of AMANI and how this incredible race is symbolic of the Team’s character and ambition.
AMANI PROJECT IN THE MEDIA
Amani in America - Fursa
On August 27th, 2022, Sule Kangangi tragically passed away during the Vermont Overland Race. This film was created to document Team Amani's story and continue the work that Sule started. Out of the tragedy comes the increased motivation to continue creating opportunities for underrepresented athletes in East Africa. The work that Sule helped start does not end with his passing, it continues through the lives he impacted directly and the lives of future generations of cyclists. “The one dark chapter does not a novel make. The story does not end with Sule’s death. In many ways, our story is just beginning… Sule Kangangi was a lion who led by example and demanded excellence from himself and everyone around him. He set ambitious goals for himself, the team (Amani), and the future of cycling in East Africa. What he started. We will finish” Mikel Delagrange of Team AMANI. The work continues through racing and the development of a new performance training center in Iten, Kenya “The Home of Champions” including world record marathoner Eliud Kipchoge. Wahoo will be providing the full ecosystem of training tools the center will need while Wahoo Sports Science will continue to help develop the team's coaches. Please support the work of creating opportunity by contributing to the building of the Iten Performance Center. Donate to the Amani Performance Center Construction Fund: https://gofund.me/b6f238d0
Rouleur: ‘A culture of not only sport, but excellence' - Team Amani's mission to create world-class athletes at the Home of Champions
Rachel Jory: Iten, a town in Kenya, is renowned for producing many of the best long distance runners in the world. Team Amani is on a mission to create a world-class cycling facility there too, spurred on by the legacy of the late Sule Kangangi, the man who believed in it the most.
TEAM AMANI: GIVING AFRICA AN OPPORTUNITY
The year is 2021 and less than 2% of WorldTour pros are African. Team Amani is removing the barriers that have prevented Africa from reaching the top before.
Team Amani and MGR on velonews.com
After the success of last year's Migration Gravel Race, the Amani Project rolls into 2022 with a new stage race and a team.
Rouleur Live: Team Amani and Investing in African Cycling
Kenneth Mungai and Mikel Delagrange of Team Amani sit down with Rachel Jary at Rouleur Live to discuss the growth of the African-based team. Delagrange talks about the importance of investment in African cycling and giving opportunities to African riders, whilst Mungai speaks about his own journey into cycling and how important the team has been in his development. Rouleur Live is the world's best cycling show, taking place every year with the finest cycling brands and biggest stars all in one place.
Team Amani on dotwatcher.cc
Team Amani rider, Sule Kangangi at the finish line of Badlands 2021 having taken 6th place.
Rapha Films Presents: Kaende Kaende
In March 2024 EF Education-Easypost’s Lachlan Morton and Team AMANI’s Jordan Schleck paired up to ride Cape Epic, the world’s most gruelling MTB stage race. Jordan is one of East Africa's brightest young talents and is representing Team AMANI this season at the Lifetime Grand Prix series in the US, so Cape Epic was the perfect training ground. A boneshaking week of altitude and technical singletrack for the duo, this film captures the suffering, the intensity and the bond they have built. It also gives an insight into the work Jordan, Lachlan and the rest of the Team AMANI squad are doing to push East African cycling to the fore.
AMANI META
Meet Team Amani. They have used technology to connect and compete, but someday the metaverse will help them - and all of us -- do so much more. When we connect beyond boundaries, we will all go farther.
Rouleur Live: Team Amani From Kenya to Europe
International criminal lawyer and cycling fan Michael Delagrange set up Project AMANI in East Africa, in a drive to increase diversity within cycling, and increase representation from under-represented nations. He describes the inception of the project, and his vision for enabling African riders to compete on an international level. He speaks with enthusiasm about the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya’s Maasai Mara, and the impact of the race on the team’s riders. Delagrange also speaks about Kenneth Karaya’s participation in Cape Epic, and the significance of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, and the importance of future heroes to East African cycling.
PEDALED & Team Amani
Team Amani and PEdALED have shared a long journey these past few years, with the Timu Moja spirit slowly becoming a part of everyone’s lives. As riders have evolved, the mission’s grown more ambitious, shifting the status quo in the cycling world. Whatever the future holds, it’s been an honor to be part of such an intense and meaningful experience. Thanks for the adventure - ASANTENI!
Mbogi Amani is a film about our project, our team and our aspirations for the sport of cycling. Expertly captured by our friend @saltlake_lian , it represents the most intimate portrait yet of our riders - capturing the sparkle of their personalities as well as the fire of their determination.
FURSA means opportunity
Wahoo Fitness: “Fursa is the Swahili word for opportunity. Together with Amani Racing, we are supporting athletes from East Africa with the opportunity to race against the top gravel riders in the World. Four elite cyclists have been chosen to come to the US and race SBT GRVL, BWR Asheville & Vermont Overland developing new pathways for athletes from East Africa to show their full potential.”
Producer: Matt Porter and Ansel Dickey
Shot by: Ansel Dickey and Nick Keating
Edited by: Christian Sunquist and Ansel Dickey
The Guardian: Zebras, giraffes … and a cycle race through the Maasai Mara
Stephen Burgen: East Africans rarely get a chance to show what they can do on two wheels. They did that in Kenya this month and the result was spectacular.
MGR on Bikepacking.com
“The inaugural Migration Gravel Race will take place in Kenya next year, and photographer Lian van Leeuwen traveled there to meet and ride with the organizers to learn more about the event and its mission. Find her interview with them here, plus a jaw-dropping set of photos shot along the 650km race route…” - Read more on Bikepacking.com
G!RO PODCASTS
Jordan Addison from G!RO Podcasts talks to Michael Delagrange about Project AMANI and the power of collective action.
Outspoken Podcast
“The idea behind the AMANI project is simple - they try to create cycling opportunities for talented rides from East Africa. At least, that was the plan, till COVID-19. The travel restrictions have forced them to reconsider their model and search for ways to achieve their goals of greater inclusivity in the sport in an environment where no races are taking place and international travel is restricted.
We sat down with Mikel Delagrange who is one of the creators to discuss all of the above and much much more.” - Head to Outspoken to hear the whole podcast.