Author: MBONILE BURTON
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PREPARATION is underway for the major cycling race, ‘Twende Butiama’ 2020 which will be staged from October 6th to 14th this year covering over ten regions.
Over 150 riders are expected to take part in the annual race which is being organised by Tanzania Endurance Cyclists (teC) club.
One of the race organisers, Gabriel Landa, told the ‘africa-press’ in Dar es Salaam yesterday that this year’s race will cover over 1370km distance starting from Msasani in Dar es Salaam and ending at Mwalimu Nyerere’s birth village of Mwitongo in Butiama District of Mara region.
Landa stressed that preparation for the longest riding race is going on well.
He said the major aim of the race is to pay homage to the founding father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere who died in 1999.
The grand cycling race is the country’s longest cycling event ever staged as it covers ten regions. They include Dar es Salaam, Coast, Morogoro, Dodoma, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Mwanza and Mara. It will also cover 25 districts in its 1370km distance.
He said that participants will be coming from different parts of the country and that he was delighted to see the race growing to this stage.
According to Landa, over 110 participants took part in the last year’s event while 65 of them managed to reach the destination, but increasing in number to 150 this time, to him, is a good sign that the race continues to grow.
“We are using this platform also to promote the sports, tourism and develop interest for Tanzania to use bike as one of the means of transport that benefit their health.
Promoting environment, preserving it for social and economic benefits, has also been part of the race that started in 2014.
“The race also aims to pay homage to the founding father of the nation Mwalimu Nyerere who died on October 14, 1999, for all good things he has done to the people of Tanzania, we gear up to maintain peace, love, solidarity and patriotism that he founded.
“It is our humble patriotic endeavour to spread the inspiration of a healthy fitness-based lifestyle which would take our country to a higher plane through a healthy strong youth, promote domestic tourism by visiting tourist attraction sites. Promote environmental sustainability practices by promoting Climate smart actions.”
The club also is promoting Tree Planting through “Miti kwa Umri” campaign whereby each Tanzanian, every year, should plant trees corresponding to their ages.
