Capital City Cycling Championship

Introduction

The Capital City Cycling Championship was inaugurated by Ochenuel Mobility and its partners in 2021 as poart of activities marking the World Bicycle Day events in Nigeria. The Championship is the only competitive road cycling sport in the capital city, and spotlights the opportunities available for youths and the cycling industry in sports, while drawing public attention to the need for cycling development as a means of urban transport in the face of growing concerns from motorization.

The Championship

The 2^nd Capital City Cycling Championship which commenced after the mass rally had three (3) categories: Elites, Veterans and Amateurs (school students) with both male and female athletes in that order

Prizes include Medals Award and cash prizes of ₦100,000, ₦70,000 and ₦50,000 for Elite male and female categories respectively. ₦50,000, ₦30,000 and ₦20,000 respectively for Veteran male and female category. And ₦30,000, ₦20,000 and ₦15,000 for Amateur (students). The ten (10) next cyclists in the race also receive consolation prizes of ₦10,000 (Elite) and ₦5,000 (Veteran and Amateur).

Similarly, the Amateur cyclists had only one (1) female cyclist whose prize was increased from ₦30,000 to ₦50,000 by the Executive Director of Ochenuel Mobility for her courage, and standing alone in a male dominated sport.

In the Elite category which raced 120km, John Gabriel of Rivers State Cycling Association clinched the Gold medal, while Etim Precious Effiong of Rivers State and Abaka Kurotimi of Bayelsa State clinched Silver and Bronze medals respectively.

In the Elite Female category, Ese Ukpesereya of Delta State Cycling Association clinched the Gold medal. It should be noted that, Ese has just qualified as the first Nigerian athlete to the 2023 Olympic in France. Other winners in the Elite female category are Tombrapa Grikpa of Rivers and Mary Samuel of Delta who clinched Silver and Bronze medals respectively.