ERITREAN Riders will participate in Tour De France: A historic achievement for Africa.
A wildcard invitation to the Tour De France by South African team MTN-Qhubeka has five African riders on the team. The event which will take place between July 4-26 will include Eritrea’s Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus, 21. Natnael Berhane was left out even though the entire Eritrean team did well in their last event. The Tour De France is the top race for cycling since it's start in 1903. Next week on Saturday as most of you watch the event along with fire works for the celebrations of the independence day in the USA, you can see that the passion for Cycling in Eritrea is very high. Congratulations to Both Daniel and Merhawi and hopefully they will perform and compete with some of the veterans who will be very tough. In an interview from last weeks's victory this is what Daniel had to say, "To wear the flag of Eritrea at the Tour de France will be very special and I will try to do everyone proud. "




Meanwhile for those who may have questions about the Tour De France here is some information that may help you become a fan from the get go. There are twenty two teams including the Africans MTN competing in 21 stages. The Hardest stages will more than likely be Everyone will have their personal favourite, but the cobbles between Seraing and Cambrai will turn stage four into a mini Paris-Roubaix. For climbing fans, the 13.8km ascent up the 21 bends of Alpe d'Huez (below) on the penultimate day of the race should be spectacular.





What are the dates of the Tour in 2015?

The 102nd edition of the Tour de France begins in Utretcht, Holland on July 4. The race features 21 stages, plus two rest days, before ending in Paris on July 26.

What is the route?

The Tour begins in Holland - the sixth time the grand départ has been staged in the country - before moving into Belgium and then northern France. The route winds into Brittany before moving to the south-west of France and then across the country to Alpe d'Huez, before the traditional finale on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.


There are nine flat stages, three hilly stages, seven mountain stages including five summit finishes, one individual time trial and one team time trial. Total distance of the route is 3,360km.

What do the different shirts mean?

The yellow jersey is worn by the leader of the general individual time classification.
The green jersey is given to the leader of the points classification (won on the intermediate sprints and at the stage).
The red polka dot jersey is worn by the best climber. Points are allocated at the top of any classified slope.
The white jersey is given to the best young rider aged 25 or under in the general individual time classification.