Send Sierra Leone to the Tour de Faso

*Fundraiser Closed  – Please read carefully before donating.*
In our update dated 22 October you will find more information about the Sierra Leone team's invitation to Tour du Faso being rescinded.




Sierra Leone has been invited to send a team to the Tour de Faso in Burkina Faso, and is raising money to fund their travel and support costs. The squad will consist of six riders and three support staff. 

The race is a ten-day stage race, beginning on 25 October 2019. It represents the 2020 season-opener in the UCI Africa Tour. It is run by ASO, the same company that organises the Tour de France. 

Sierra Leonean cyclists receive only rare opportunities to compete abroad and the chance to compete in a UCI Africa Tour race are almost once-in-a-lifetime. With limited racing opportunities domestically, competitions in other West African countries are essential for the development of riders in Sierra Leone. As we build towards a sustainable development system for Sierra Leonean cyclists to become professional athletes, participations in races like 'the Faso' will become more and more instrumental.

The overall target for this fundraiser is £6,550. Which represents enough money to cover:

Travel to Burkina Faso by land
Spares for racing
Daily stipend for riders and staff
A contingency of £750 for unexpected additional costs, which if unspent will be directed back into the National Cycling programme's running costs

Travelling to the race is  a gruelling 1,600km journey which entails at least four days of driving time to get there and the same amount of time to come back. We hope to raise additional funds beyond the target stated above to cover the cost of flying the athletes to the race, however, flights in West Africa are extremely expensive, even short-haul.

If we fall short of the target, we can reduce the number of cyclists who go to the race. But Sierra Leone must field a minimum of four riders.