Captain, Cyclotron Cycling Club, Lagos State, Ladi Daudu has urged the Federal Government to invest more in cycling so as to raise its standard in the country.
He made the appeal while speaking during the Ibadan Tour held on Sunday where over 70 cyclists rode through the city within four hours.
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“Cycling is an international sport and there are a lot of international events that have happened, recently we had a Tour de France and I believe Kenya is the only African team that participated in it. We have a lot of young men and women in Ibadan as well that have the ambition, energy to represent the country but what we are lacking is the support from the government.
“The truth of the matter is that the authorities should make private organisations in this country sponsor sports. Most private organisations are there to make money unless you have one of the directors who is a cyclist that will invest in cycling,” Daudu told sportingtribune.
Also, The Brand and Media Secretary of Cyclotron, Adebayo Owosina, said that the country focuses more attention on football.
He stated that the Federal Government can still put in some investment into other sports which he believes will improve the country’s representatives at the international level.
Owosina said: “In Nigeria, we believe that football is the only main sport that can promote the image of the country.
“Cycling has a unique advantage right now, ever since the global pandemic, cycling has become more popular and I urge the Federal Government to increase investment in it which I believe will get some children off the streets and possibly build their skills in cycling. Through this, some of them may become professional cyclists and represent the country in the near future.”
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Meanwhile Daudu hinted that the cyclists were made to ride in Ibadan so as to feel the terrain of the city and make them compete in another environment outside Lagos, which had been the hosts for years.
This is part of our fitness lifestyle, we ride round Lagos and some of our members from Ibadan suggested that we should come and experience the wonderful view and hills of Ibadan, and that is why we actually came here to experience that, so its a tour of Ibadan.
“Premier Hill, that is the biggest challenge we faced so far, Lagos is generally flat and sometimes we ride on 100km and it will be total elevation 80 meters in all, but here in Ibadan, in a space of 20km, you can run an elevation of 500 meters, so this whole experience is a challenge.
“Cycling is a sport that improves one’s breathing level. A lot of people joined us because they want to improve their health,” he said.