Ineos Grenadiers has partnered with Eliud Kipchoge to launch a cycling academy in the marathon runner's home country of Kenya with the goal of helping develop cycling in Africa.

Kipchoge famously partnered with the Ineos organization to become the first person to run a marathon under two hours in 2019, which represented a huge leap forward, although it did not count toward Kipchoge's own official world record.

Now the Kenyans are expanding their training center in Captagat to include a cycling academy and are looking to train a new generation of riders using the resources and expertise of Ineos Grenadiers.

"This is an important and exciting development in world cycling and has the power to make a lasting difference by developing new riders from Africa," said Dave Brailsford, manager of Ineos Grenadiers. [I saw it firsthand this year with the Giro d'Italia and Biniam Girmay's historic success at Ghent-Wevelgem, and I saw it firsthand with the inspiring young riders I met at Captagat. [Their passion, dedication, and love for the sport fits perfectly with the spirit of the Ineos Grenadiers, who give their all to racing and doing their best. Together, I believe we can accomplish something unique and important for Kenya, Africa, and the sport itself." The academy will be run by Dutchman Valentin True, who has a background in athlete management and is a longtime partner of Kipchoge's. Existing staff from Kipchoge's training center will also be involved in the project, which will also be supported by the Kenya Cycling Federation.

"We have been working on the great potential of long distance runners in East Africa for over 30 years, and we believe that the combination of excellent local endurance talent and the excellent training environment in Kaputagat will be ideal for the development of quality cyclists," Trouw He said.

"Working with Sir Dave Brailsford and the Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team and utilizing the Ineos Sports family will bring the best practices in competitive cycling in the world.

Kenya does not have a rich history in professional cycling and will not have a full-time professional in 2022. Four-time Tour de France champion Chris Froome was born in Kenya, but moved to South Africa as a teenager to race as an Englishman.

The Qhubeka team was established as a leader in African cycling and made many breakthroughs, including Daniel Teklehaimanot and Melhawi Kudus becoming the first black Africans to race in the Tour de France, but the team ceased operations as a professional team last year. However, the team ceased to exist as a professional team last year.