Members of the organising committee of the Chantal Biya International Cycling Tour has been praised for their professionalism in organising a successful event that rounded off on Sunday in Yaounde.

The First Lady Chantal Biya was at the May 20 Boulevard for the arrival of the athletes during the final lap as she took time out to congratulated all those in the peloton and looking satisfied with the race.

With the dust yet to fully settle on the event, the Cameroon Cycling Federation, FECACYCLING held a post evaluation meeting on Tuesday October 22 in which the President, Honoré Yossi praised all members of the various commissions who helped in making the tour a success.

« It was a well organised race except for teams from Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast who could not make it Cameroon due to various factors.  All the cyclists were put in the best conditions to compete and we are delighted with that, »Honoré Yossi said.

However, a slight disappointment was the absence of a Cameroonian cyclist in the top three as well as the failure of the winner to win any lap of last week’s race, the members of the organisation committee said.

Honoré Yossi said, the federation will get immediately to work to help Cameroonian Cyclists prepare for the Tropical Amissa Bongo in Gabon and ensure they win at least one lap.

The coordinator of the race, Fritz Banker urged the Cameroon Cycling Federation to start preparing for next year’s event by scouting for partnerships which could go a long way to help reduce the financial burden of the race which heavily relies on the shoulders of the government.

The 19 edition Chantal Biya International Grand Prixt that rounded off in Yaounde on Sunday was won by Algeria’s Azzedine Lagab who took home the yellow jersey ahead of Slovakia’s Marek Canecky and Holland’s Arjan Hofman.