The beginning...
Charles Kagimu was born on September 15th 1998 in Kampala, capital of Uganda. Uganda is an English-speaking country of east-central Africa, with about 40 millions inhabitants. 5 % of the inhabitants live in the biggest city and capital: Kampala. It's a big city well developed but more than 39 % of the population lives under the absolute poverty line and 43% is jobless. Cycling as a sport is almost non-existent, the bike is only used as a means of transport and sometimes as leisure. That's how Charles started riding his bike very young: "I don't really remember but I think I rode a bike first between the age of 5 and 6 years old." Then, it's from the age of 14 that he started to cycle more often: "In 2013, I started going to school by bike since my school was far from home (around 6km) and there was no way to get to school faster and safer rather than by bike. Later in the year, I picked interest in doing cycling as a sport since my bike was being repaired by a friend who was a cyclist also in a certain club. Unfortunately, I couldn't continue with my studies because my mom was the only one paying my school fees at that time and she couldn't pay anymore because she had no money and no job at that time, since almost four months earlier." So Charles used his free time in cycling and he quickly began to take part in some local races. "I then started doing cycling as a sport in 2014 since I had interest in it and I had the time to do it because I wasn't studying anymore. I did some local races at home with my first club and in 2015." Among these junior races, some were organized by his friend Leon Matovu, who was also a cyclist who never turn professional but has represented Uganda in some international races. "In our country there was no foundation for young cyclists, Leon Matovu told. Me as I was growing up as a young cyclist, I struggled but when I turned into a big cyclist in our country I decided to start organizing junior races. I started around 2012 and that's when I realized that we have good young cyclists in our country and Charles was among the best 6 young riders." Leon is 10 years older than Charles, they know each other since 2012. "He is actually one of the two best friends I have been with for long, Charles says, he is one of those people at home who always encouraged me and helped so much up to now." Leon Matovu praised Charles: "he is professional, not only on the bike. I've watched him for 6 years, he is so cooperative, listening, determined and he's a kind of kid who can sacrifice what he has for others to be better. He has never been selfish. He like cycling so much, he's always on YouTube looking for cycling news, trainings, looking for how to improve every time. He knows all the social media links about cycling. Never missed training. He's always on time, never too late. He always wanted to be a good climber."
We are early 2015, Charles takes part in his first races in Uganda. "But I couldn't continue with the same club, he moves on, since it was gradually going down financially and the moods within were disappointing and discouraging." He did not imagine yet that cycling could become his job, and it's thanks to the Africa Rising Cycling Center that he then realized he perhaps has a talent that could allow him to live of his passion...
Left and right, Charles in 2015.
Below to the right, Charles in early 2016.
Below to the left, Charles (left) with Leon (right) in Rwanda in September 2016, they did not see each other since because Leon left living in the United States.
Africa Rising Cycling Center and Kenyan Riders
"I then joined another club which helped me to progress more and gave me a chance to go to the Africa Rising Cycling Center (ARCC) in Rwanda for a two weeks camp where I learned more about cycling and made me realize that it could be my job." He was the first Ugandan ever to go to the Africa Rising Cycling Center, a training center based in Rwanda. For a few years, the ARCC extended the project to the whole Africa's continent, with the goal to make cycling grow up in Africa. "His club team owner, Robert, asked us if Charles could attend the Junior Camp we were hosting in December 2015, told Kimberly Coasts, ARCC's co-founder. We said he could come and that’s when we first met him. He did well at the camp. Charles is a quiet and intense rider. He’s a super nice kid and he’s always been very thankful for the opportunities. He’s been a pleasure to work with him." It's also during this stage that Charles met Salim Kipkemboi, the Kenyan from the same generation as Charles who's probably one of the most promising African rider today. Today Charles and Salim became friends and Salim helped the Ugandan to join the Kenyan Riders team early 2017 "When I went in Rwanda in 2015, I met with Salim Kipkemboi for the first time, I had heard about the Kenyan Riders but I had no chance yet to go there, I told Salim that I wanted to join them and he reply me that he would try to help me."
For a few years, Kenyan Riders Safaricom Team enables cycling to develop in Kenya, with as a goal to make Kenya become an important country in the world of cycling. If the Kenyan dominate the marathon, they never had a good rider at high level in cycling until now (except Chris Froome). That was because there was no infrastructure until the creation of Kenyan Riders. Now, the team has infrastructures for identifying and training young cycling talent everywhere in Kenya and they also allowed Charles Kagimu from Uganda to join them after his good performances in some races in Kenya : "One year later I went to Kenya for the first time, to take part in some races and I met with other people who had been in the sport for some good time, I performed well and I really knew that I had to make cycling my job, which wasn't possible at home in Uganda where everyone think that cycling is like a hobby and can't be more serious. I did well in the races I had gone to do and the coach who had heard about me earlier was impressed by how I had performed. So, the next year, in 2017, I was offered a place on the team." And Charles performed well during the 2017 season too, the talent and the mentality he showed push the staff to trust him and he was chosen to take a new step while joining the partner team, Bike Aid...
On the top left, Africa Rising Cycling Center's building.
On the top in middle, Charles with his Kenyan Riders' jersey.
On the top right, Charles (right) with 2 of his Kenyan team-mates
Bellow, Kenyan Riders 2017' team.
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Bike Aid
The German team Bike Aid rides at Continental level since 2014, its project is to help African cycling to develop by giving a chance to young African riders to race in a European team. The team has both good German riders and good African riders coming from different countries. Riders such as Dan Craven, Mekseb Debesay or Abdou Raouf Akanga have already ridden for Bike Aid. In 2017 the team signed a long-term partnership with Kenyan Riders' team, which became German team's reserve. Kenyan Suleiman Kangangi, Geffroy Langat and Salim Kipkemboi joined Bike Aid from January 2017. Charles Kagimu was given the opportunity to join the team as a trainee at the end of 2017. Timo Schäfer, 36 years old, is the co-founder of the Continental team, together with Matthias Schnapka they have a double role: they are at the same time riders and managers. Timo tells the first time he met Charles: "He was part of the U23 feeder team (Kenyan Riders) when I first met him in January 2017 during my stay in Iten (Kenya, where them camp was). He just came from Uganda and got integrated into the team and the camp, he was very open from the first moment and very interested as he knew Bike Aid from being 'fan' of the team before." Indeed, during the Africa Rising Center's camp in 2015, Charles had watched Tour of Rwanda and supported Mekseb Debesay, who was riding for Bike Aid at that time and had won 2 stages. "During his stay in Germany in the summer 2017 with the feeder team, Timo Schäfer continues, he took the opportunity and showed big interest in how to progress, how to become a better rider. We signed him as a trainee and he performed directly well in his first ever UCI race in December 2017: Tour of Qanzhou Bay where he finished 10 in GC." After this training camp, Charles joined the team in 2018. Timo describe him as "a very dedicated person who has a strong focus on what he is doing. As a rider he is also dedicated to the team and a good team-player. He wants to learn a lot and progress."
The 2018 season did not pass as Charles expected. He finished 31th of Tour of Antalya, 50th of Tour de Savoie Mont Blanc, 51th of Sibiu Cycling Tour, 54th of Tour of Azarbaijan, and finished out of time the second stage of Route d'Occitanie. "I'm really disappointed with how my 2018 season went on. I had some sickness during the peak of the season and I couldn't perform to my best. I hope my next season will be better." However, Timo relativizes: "In my opinion it is too far to talk about disappointing season. For sure, the guys have to understand that there is a certain expectation and that they have to perform also in European races at a certain level. But on the other hand, it was Charles' first real year and he did races such as 'Route d'Occitanie' where it is for sure not easy to get the results that they expect from themselves. They have to be patient but at the same time always put more effort in to progress as a rider (and this is not only physical training)."
What's next...
After his small disappointment in 2018, Charles hopes to bounce in 2019. His program isn't defined yet but it should look like the 2018 one. "At this point I cannot lay out a dedicated program for him. First, we need to get our schedule set up (as a Continental team we do not have the privilege to know our full schedule already now), but for sure he will be back at Route d'Occitanie in 2019 where we already have the invitation for the upcoming season." specifies Timo Schäfer.
For the moment, Charles's best memories in cycling are "those when I met some of my goals like when I first got the chance to race in Europe last year with Kenyan Riders, or when I signed my first contract ever last year with Bike Aid, among others." Now he dreams to discover the highest level: "Like almost every cyclist in the world, my dreams are not different. I want to race on the top level of the sport, do the biggest races in the sport and win lots of races too." Anyway, cycling allowed him to get out of a difficult situation and made him very happy, "Riding my bike has taken me places, met a lot of people, made a lot of friends and it's making my life change positively, which make me ride more every day."
For the Ugandan cycling, the current situation is really difficult, "Cycling in Uganda is currently in a very very bad state due to the poor corrupt leadership in the sport, explains Charles, and it gets worse since the government can't help anymore. We are not supported at all as cyclists and it's really hard to do cycling for now. But I hope this can change soon." Leon Matovu has tried to help at his level by organizing amateurs races but he didn't feel supported: "To be real, there are talents in Uganda but the federation hasn't done enough for the cyclists." Is the problem the lack of money or corruption? "Both" answers Leon without hesitation. "It can only improve if we get a chance to get rid of all the members of the federation. They've ruled for many years and they don't wanna go away." Unfortunately, the situation doesn't seem to be ready to change for now, but maybe if Charles reaches the high level and performs there, he could give new impetus and make finally cycling be considered as a real sport in Uganda? We hope so and that's what we wish him!
Charles Kagimu wins 2017 Tour du Burundi.
Thanks a lot to Charles Kagimu as well as to Leon Matovu, Timo Schäfer and Kimberly Coats for their time. We wish much success to Charles and Leon as well as the Africa Rising Cycling Center and Bike Aid.
You can read an update of what happened for Charles Kagimu until June 2021 in this article.