肯尼亞城市競爭東非自行車中心

　　10月23日VOA聽力：肯尼亞都會競爭東非自行車中間

　　They make it look easy.

　　But an elevations of 1,000 to 1,600 meters abovesea level, cycling these hills is anything buteffortless.

　　That challenge makes Machakos County, Kenya, ashowcase venue for the abilities of East Africancyclists during the second annual Tour de Machakos.

　　Twenty-three-year-old Cyrus Wambua is one of those riders. Born and raised in Machakos,Wambua has been riding since he was a child. He says his mother encouraged him to start.

　　My mother got inspired by that strong guy from the Tour de France, the Lance Armstrong, soI used to read documentaries and when we were a small kid, they used to tell us that one dayyou’ll race like Lance Armstrong.

　　Uganda’s national cycling coach, Jesper Fiedler, says this is one reason why Kenya's and EastAfrica’s cycling community has continued to grow over the years.

　　Partly, it’s the exposure on TV. More people can watch these races on TV, and then the morepeople who are riding around in different towns around East Africa, the exposure’s just bigger.So people, they see, and they say, Maybe we should pick up this sport.

　　Race organizer Alex Tibwitta said Machakos has it all: Nice hills, well-maintained roads, gooddescents and a government that supports the cycling community.

　　I'm pretty confident that with the right nurturing, this is definitely the best place to base asort of cycling in Kenya, and probably in East Africa.

　　Some of the best marathoners in the world either live or train in the Kenyan towns of Eldoretand Iten, locations that are known for their high elevations. Some cyclists think Machakos couldeventually have that same reputation.

　　So definitely, this is a perfect place. If somebody wanted to build a camp up in the hills at maybe2,100 meters, you’re more or less at the same level, as let’s say, Iten. So for sure, this couldbecome a new cycle hub as well, that’s a perfect setting here, perfect, really good.

　　And for cyclists like Wambua, that would be very good news indeed.

　　I like cycling so much because as a sport, it always keeps you busy in that you avoid badcompany, don’t take drugs, even on the other side, it’s a source of living. You can earnsomething from the cycling event and you push your family, you do your things, and that’s all.

　　The Tour de Machakos is the biggest road race in Kenya, covering 400 kilometers aroundMachakos County.

　　This year there were 130 registered cyclists double the number from last year.

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