Ian Boswell heads into the SBT GRVL this Sunday as last year's runner-up in the men's 142-mile black course. In addition to his racing goals, he is also focused on mentoring four East African competitors. They will use this event to pave the way for the future of cycling, so to speak.

Kenyans Sule Kangi, John Kariuki, and Nancy Akinyi, as part of the Fursa presented by Wahoo program, will join Jordan Shurek of Uganda in three distinctive A special opportunity to compete in gravel races, the trip to the U.S. The four athletes will also compete in the Gravel Worlds in Nebraska on August 20 and the Vermont Overland on August 27.

Boswell traveled to Kenya last June to compete in the inaugural Migration Gravel Race, finishing fourth in a grueling four-day stage race across the Masai Mara wilderness. This race is the first gravel race in East Africa created by the AMANI project. This year, Kariuki and Kangangi won the men's version of this grueling event.

"I didn't get to come back this year, but I got to meet the athletes last year. I was able to spend a lot of time with them in Kenya during that race. And I wanted to offer a little extra support," Boswell told Cycling News about the birth of the Fursa program.

"The beauty of cycling is that you can come to America and race with the best athletes in the world. But just as great is the cultural experience of coming here."

The word 'fursa' means opportunity in Swahili and is an expression of what the US-based smart fitness training company is trying to achieve through its partnership with the AMANI Project, a non-profit organization that promotes inclusivity in cycling and creates opportunities for African-based riders. It expresses what it seeks to achieve through its partnerships.

The American race is the pinnacle of gravel racing in the world, and Boswell said it took more than 18 months to make "fursa" a reality.

"I competed in the Migration Gravel Race in Kenya last June. For us American and European athletes, it was very easy to get into Kenya, just a little paperwork and a COVID inspection. It's a different route than East Africa," Boswell, who serves as Wahoo's full-time athlete manager, told Cycling News.

"These athletes faced hurdles because every time an opportunity opened up, something held them back. Despite working with the State Department and various others, they were unable to obtain visas. I think a lot of that was retention due to the coronavirus pandemic."

What was originally a 2021 trip became a spring 2022 trip, and the foursome's visa was finally approved, so they moved in late summer, Boswell said. Earlier this week, Kangangi, 33, Kariuki, 25, and Schreck, who turns 20 in September, were in Colorado ahead of the SBT GRVL to experience Wahoo Sports Science's test center in Boulder, which just opened this month.

Akinyi, 32, headed to Birmingham, England, to represent Kenya in mountain biking at the Commonwealth Games. She placed seventh in the women's elite cross country.

Boswell noted that aspiring East African athletes see running, not cycling, as a path to a professional sports career. The initiative with Fursa is to eliminate hurdles for aspiring women and men riders in East Africa and pave the way for professional racing, whether on the road or off-road. Team AMANI can now look beyond the two big off-road stage races in Africa, the Migration Gravel Race and the Evolution Gravel.

"It's hard to race regularly against international competitors when you're just a little bit further out in the world. Whether it's the Colombians or the Slovenes." There are phenomenally talented athletes in East Africa. Until now, there has been a lack of support (in the cycling world), and more than that, these athletes needed an opportunity to showcase their abilities on an internationally recognized stage. Now they can race in the U.S. and see themselves up against some of the best gravel racers in the world."

These three races were chosen for both their calendar positioning and their diverse geography, where racing skills vary.

"The differences between Steamboat, Lincoln, and Vermont are significant. Steamboat has the alpine courses, while Nebraska has the traditional flat, gravelly courses of the Midwest. And finally, we end with the Vermont Overland, which is a short course with a tremendous uphill climb.

What are first-time riders most looking forward to?

"I talk to Jordan the most, and he's looking forward to the hamburgers," Boswell said with a laugh, noting that he began coaching Ugandan riders late last year. The race is a big focus for them. Racing is a big focus for them. They came here to perform and to make a name for themselves in the world, not just for a vacation to the United States."

Team AMANI worked with the Wahoo Sports Science team to provide each racer with advanced preparation, including providing them with SYSTM software for their Wahoo KICKRs.

"Cycling has produced world and Olympic champions, most of whom are from Western Europe and North America. To create a sport with more opportunities and representation, we want to make sure that the best riders from this currently underrepresented region get the chance to compete with the best riders in the world," said Mikel Delagrange of Team AMANI.

"These four athletes faced a year's delay due to unexpected visa problems brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, but they are training harder than ever and ready for the chance to prove themselves. We are proud to be able to give them that chance through our "Fursa" program."

After the athletes complete their three gravel events in the U.S., they will travel to Europe to compete in additional He will compete in off-road events.