Many folk will not know the name Jamie Bissell. He avoids social media and the spotlight, however he is one of the most vital cogs in the success of African cycling for nearly 15 years!

Hailing from California, Jamie is an elite UCI mechanic and we talk through his journey (so far!) in African cycling, which started when his mother shared the now legendaryPhilip Gourevitch’s 2011 New Yorker article, "Climbers" which told the story of Africa Rising's first project in Africa: Team Rwanda.

Jamie's fascinating journey including stories from Eritrea, Algeria, Rwanda, Benin, Togo, Congo, Kenya as well as with Team USA and Team Canada.

He has worked with some of the continent's top mechanics such as Kenya's Nixon Sewe, Ethiopia's Adhana ("GG") Gebregiorgis in Ethiopia and Rafiki Uwimana in Rwanda. Jamie names Park Tools' Calvin Jones (who just announced his retirement) and the legendary Craig Calfee as his heroes and inspiration.

We hope you enjoy this broad and truly fascinating insight into cycling mechanic issues and developments across Africa!

With the 2026 Tour du Rwanda starting on Sunday, Jeremy and Kim take a deep dive into the key facts, riders and data points for the 18th edition of the race! (Very much fuelled by ProCyclingStats data!)

We look at the dominance of Eritrea in this race since its elevation to the UCI 2.1 level, with race winners like Henok Mulubrhan and Merhawi Kudus there to make it count. Alongside them, young talent like Awet Aman on Team Istanbul and Yoel Habteab on Team BIKE AID all looking for a good result.

Kim shares some history of the race as well as a fascinating story of former UCI President Pat McQuaid getting involved; the brilliant efforts of Team BIKE AID and their #rideforafrica jersey initiative; some young guns on Team Amani who will be hoping to show their chops; Africa's newest pro team: Tshenolo Pro Cycling; and finally our picks for the win!

The race will be broadcast live on YouTube so make sure you tune in!

In our latest episode, we are joined by two very important actors in the world of cycling, and with whom we at Africa Rising Cycling have worked for many years: Jacques Landry and Jean-Pierre van Zyl (JP as he is known) from the UCI’s World Cycling Center (WCC).

Jacques is based in Aigle in Switzerland and JP in Paarl in South Africa. Jacques leads the work of the WCC globally, with JP on point for all things Africa.

We talked to them about the work of the WCC; the story of how the UCI Cycling World Championships finally made it to Africa; some of the incredible athletes they have worked with like Adrien Niyonshuti, Biniam Girmay, Kim Le Court, and the next generation like Tsige Kahsay Kiros; what the WCC is up to next; and what more the 54 African cycling federations can be doing to help young athletes.

It is a packed episode, we hope you enjoy!