WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

Over the last few weekends, we’ve had spectacular races with unexpected, marvelous results:

1. The Two Rivers Mall Criterium where Suleiman kangangi (captain of the Kenyan Riders cycling team and rider for Bike Aid) shot past Niels van der Pijl in the sprint to the finish to take first place.
2. The Garden City Criterium where Suleiman Kangangi captained his team that allowed teammate Charles Kagimu to launch a solo breakaway and maintain it to the finish before teammate Salim Kipkemboi took 2nd place while Niels settled for 3rd place
3. The Farmers Choice Individual Time Trial that saw Charles Kagimu not only take 1st place but also set a new course record of 39.00 minutes.
4. The Grand Nairobi Bike Race that saw Jordan Schleck of team Sossi and The Cannibal Team in Uganda take 1st place ahead of Geoffrey Langat of the Kenyan Riders and Team Amani.
5. The Amboseli Mtb Race that saw Jordan Schleck grab 1st position yet again.

The next upcoming race is the Tour de Machakos, which is arguably Kenya’s biggest race event on the calendar. The Grand Nairobi Bike Race came a close second in terms of magnitude.

Following the stated races and results, the fate of the podium has now become unstable in the sense that one is no longer certain who will be on the podium. Before Jordan Schleck and Niels van der Pijl, it was a given that the podium would be dominated over by the Kenyan Riders. One could almost daresay that it would be a walkover for them, except if Sossi’s Kenneth Karaya was there to hang them to dry on the climbs.

Last year, Jordan won the 4th stage of the Tour de Machakos, and that is when the KR realised that the young Ugandan rider was a threat. He has continued to be a splinter in their feet when he finished 4th at the Two Rivers Mall Criterium ahead of Geoffrey and Salim despite getting a puncture and losing a lap.

In the recent races, however, Suleiman and Charles have taken a backseat from the podium, perhaps happy to see Jordan take the wins. Could this mean that the year has finally taken a toll on them?

I think not. Watching Bike Aid race the Garden City Criterium, it was evident that they had set their mind to break their competition thanks to their captain, Suleiman. They had watched Niels race at the Two Rivers Criterium and developed a strategy to put the 1st placed GC contender of the Tour de Congo 2016 in trouble. It worked.

Perhaps then they are studying Jordan, watching how he races so that during the Tour de Machakos, they can give him a taste of the KR, Team Amani and Bike Aid medicine.

Again, Niels will be racing for Team Amani, which puts Bike Aid on edge. Will the man from the Netherlands, Geoffrey and John Kariuki (winner of the Great Rift Valley Challenge 2019) be able to work together to beat Jordan as well as Bike Aid?

What will Suleiman and Charles do to protect themselves from Team Amani and from Jordan? Will it be enough?