By: Ibrahim Thoronka (Cavani) in Lunsar
Tour de Lunsar is not just any bike race. It's an event that goes beyond the boundaries of a mere competition and holds an important place in the hearts of both its participants and cycling fanatics.
Tour de Lunsar is Sierra Leone’s biggest bike race, founded by Abdul Karim Kamara (Stylish) to allow Sierra Leoneans to race locally with international competitors. Initially, cyclists in Sierra Leone are all focused on trading their profession abroad.
Speaking to AIMNet Newspaper, the CEO, Mr. Abdul Karim Kamara (Stylish), said his dream was to transform the philosophy of the Sierra Leonean cyclist. He added that the opportunity to cycle on an international platform could be created at home. He confessed that the dream had been actualized as more than four teams coming from the international realm to race in the tour. "The journey of a thousand miles starts from a doorstep. But all praises be to God for his grace, and a special thanks to Science in Sport, Village Bicycle Project, Re-Cycle UK, and all our partners and sponsors for making the tour a household name in Sierra Leone. It has been a long journey, indeed, the CEO said.
The race's first edition took place in 2013 when ten riders took to the start line on bikes donated by the US and shipped to West Africa by the Village Bike Project, an NGO that aims to empower communities through strengthening bike culture.
Ten years later, the Tour de Lunsar has grown in size and reputation, attracting cyclists who want to make it professionally.
The 2023 edition of the event started on 26 April. It features men's, women's, and junior races, all of which take place on non-closed roads, competing with traffic and causing lengthy tailbacks.
The men's race is split across four stages. The first starts in Freetown, the country’s capital, and each stage ends in Lunsar.
The women’s race and junior races are single stages culminating in laps of a circuit in Lunsar.
There were 141 competitors in total. 51 riders participated in the men's s race, 19 in the women’s, and 70 in the junior competition.
Cycling may still be a fringe activity in Sierra Leone, but the Tour de Lunsar is helping the sport grow in stature.
The race in Sierra Leone is a lot more makeshift than in Rwanda, which is set to host the 2025 UCI road world championships and has been a trailblazer for cycling in Africa.
However, the Tour de Lunsar demonstrates an appetite and passion for cycling and bike racing in a way that’s unlike any other competition.
In the words of professional photographer Matt Grayson, it is “a story of sporting persistence against adversity” and arguably one of the seedlings of a cycling revolution described in Marlon Moncrieffe’s book Desire Discrimination Determination.
Most riders still take part in donated or second-hand bikes, but with an increasing number of riders in Sierra Leone competing.
Cycling has this really powerful ability to improve people’s lives. Being a cyclist isn’t just about five days at the Tour de Lunsar; it’s about commitment, discipline, and better health.
Over the ten years of the Tour de Lunsar, cycling participation in the country has grown, building on the history of established cycling clubs across the West African nation. The race gives these riders a bigger platform to show their skills and improve.
Speaking on his preparation for the 10th Edition of Tour De Lunsar,, which will grace the track from the 17th to the 21st of April 2024, Abdul Karim Kamara said he is ready in cash because the race can't commence without money. He further stated that this year's event will be a grand event worth writing home about as more international cycling clubs will be landing in Sierra Leone to battle for supremacy with our Sierra Leonean riders.
In this year's tour, the CEO assured that he would introduce the under-12 riders. ‘They say we should catch them when they are young. At the age of twelve, we begin to identify our future cyclists. In past years, the tour used to be a three-day event. The 10th edition will be a five-day event.
The CEO continued that four countries would be competing with the home base. Three cycling teams from Nigeria, a female team from Ethiopia, a female team from Benin, and a male team from the United Arab Emirates would make it for this year's race.
Speaking on the economic impact of the tour, CEO Stylish said the Tour de Lunsar has a lot of economic impact on Lunsar and the country as a whole. He assured that the cyclists flying from their countries to Sierra Leone pay huge taxes at the airport, pay hostel bills, buy Sierra Leonean goods, and go to attractive tourist places. All the money they spend goes back to Sierra Leoneans.
Today, Sierra Leonean riders from Tour de Lunsar are representing the country. Quite recently two from Lunsar were in Ghana at the African games. The impact of Tour De Lunsar cannot be overemphasized he ended.
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