New 'Racing for Change' kit aims to raise awareness and contributions for a 16-acre bike centre in Rwanda
Israel Start-Up Nation's switch-out kit at the Tour de France(Image credit: Noa Arnon/ Israel Premier-Tech)
Israel Premier-Tech, which will be led by Chris Froome at the Tour de France on Friday, has unveiled a special edition kit for the Tour in aid of cycling in Rwanda.
The new outfit forms part of a fundraising campaign in which the team aims to support the construction of the ‘Field of Dreams’ bike centre over 16-acres of land in the Bugesera district of Rwanda.
It’s hoped that the centre will offer 120,000 students in the region access to a pump track, race track and future cycling academy.
The special edition Racing for Change-inspired Tour de France racing kit is manufactured by clothing brand Jinga, and was designed by Belgium-based Stijn Dossche of Stycle Design.
The jersey design is inspired by the Race for Change project and uses the Rwandan art form Imigongo as the hero of the jersey design, while the colours and stylings are an homage to the landscape and greenery of Rwanda.
"For me, growing up in Kenya, the bike was always about freedom," says Chris Froome. "Growing up and experiencing cycling in that way, with no real infrastructure or support for youngsters growing up, has really made me want to get behind a project like this. One that is offering an opportunity like this to youngsters who are interested in cycling to be able to follow their dreams."
Chris Froome in Israel Premier-Tech's new Tour de France kit (Image credit: Noa Arnon/ Israel Premier-Tech)
"We are hoping to engage the entire global cycling community to donate and help us build this necessary cycling infrastructure in Africa," says team owner Sylvan Adams.
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The first phase of building will include a pump track and a 1.2 km race and training track, and is projected to cost €300,000. The team will also showcase matching bike designs in the coming days, ahead of the Grand Depart in Copenhagen.
Supporters of the team and the initiative can contribute by visiting www.bit.ly/FODIPT, which at the time of writing has raised just under €60,000 of the target €300,000. The team has also pledged to double any donation made from the public.
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Peter Stuart has been editor of Cyclingnews since March 2022, overseeing editorial output across all of Cyclingnews' digital touchpoints.
Before joining Cyclingnews, Peter was the digital editor of Rouleur magazine. Starting life as a freelance feature writer, with bylines in The Times and The Telegraph, he first entered cycling journalism in 2012, joining Cyclist magazine as staff writer. Peter has a background as an international rower, representing Great Britain at Under-23 level and at the Junior Rowing World Championships.
