Cycling |26 January 2024

Jean-Yves Souyave (left) and Jahdel Gabriel have resumed training at the World Cycling Centre in Western Cape

Jean-Yves Souyave and Jahdel Gabriel resume South African training camp

Local cyclists Jean-Yves Souyave and Jahdel Gabriel left the country earlier this week for South Africa where they will resume their training programme at the World Cycling Centre in Western Cape.

The training camp which started last year is part of the development programme to identify and promote talents, thus producing the next generation of riders of l’Union Cycliste des Seychelles which governs local cycling.

Gabriel has been selected based on recommendations made by the cycling centre following his good performance during a previous training camp early last year, while Souyave has been awarded the opportunity based on his great performances during the season.

World Cycling Centre Africa is a satellite of the World Cycling Centre Switzerland (WCC) which is the development arm of the UCI.

Out of Africa, is the name of the WCC project in Potchefstroom, South Africa, which was launched in 2004 with the aim of increasing the number of Africans represented at the Olympic Games.

In 2005 the first intake of 24 athletes from 10 African Federations trained for eight weeks under the watchful eyes of Jean-Pierre Van Zyl.

Since then the training centre’s staff of two has grown to nine, and African athletes have begun successfully racing on the professional circuit.

Based permanently in Potchefstroom, Jean-Pierre Van Zyl works in close collaboration with the International Cycling Union and the WCC in Aigle, Switzerland, where he sends his best athletes for further training and racing in Europe.

Compiled by Roland Duval