No fewer than 90 cyclists will be participating in the 3rd ECOWAS International Cycling Tour which opens on 13 November 2013.
According to Francis Njoaguani, Director of ECOWAS Youth and Sports Development Centre (EYSDC) based in Ouagadougou, the five-day race over four stages and 450 kilometres will start from Nigeria’s National Stadium, Lagos, and terminate in the Ivorian commercial capital, Abidjan on 17 November.
The four stages are Lagos-Cotonou; Ouidah-Lome; Accra-Cape Coast and Aboisso-Abidjan, with three motorized transfers in between.
“The caravan will traverse five countries – Nigeria, Benin Republic, Togo, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire,” the Director said, adding that there would be cash prizes and trophies for winners at various stages and the overall tour winner in both individual and team categories.
There will also be prizes for sprints and the best young cyclist of the tour, with provisions made for insurance cover for the cyclists by ECOWAS, the sole sponsors of the event.
Each of the 15 Member States will field a team of six cyclists to be accompanied by five officials and the regional organization is working with Member States through their sporting authorities to provide some of the logistics for a hitch-free event.
The competition was initiated by ECOWAS to further promote the ideals of regional integration and free movement of persons across various borders.
It is also in line with the Vision 2020 for transforming from an “ECOWAS of States to an ECOWAS of People.”
Burkina Faso won the first and second editions of the competition, held in 2009 and 2012, respectively.
