Some 18 cyclists are fine-tuning strategies to succeed last year’s winner, Dutchman, Peter Van Agtmaal.

With all almost set for the kicker of the 10th edition of the Chantal Biya International Cycling Tour to rumble off Wednesday October 6, 2010, Cameroonian cyclists are oiling their wheels to benefit from home advantage and make true a host and win vision which failed to work last year. The country’s flagbearers, 18, grouped into three teams, will be seeking to outclass Dutchman, Peter Van Agtmaal, who won the 9th edition last year. There are also other medal hopefuls from over ten countries, announced for the annual cycling fiesta.

The domination of foreign cyclists has been remarkable of late. Last year’s winner, Peter Van Agtmaal wore yellow in 2007 while Frenchman, Thomas Rostollan won in 2008 although the Cameroon’s SNH velo team has been calling the shots.

With experienced cyclists like Yves Ngue Ngock who won the first lap of the tour in 2008 as well as no-nonsense cyclists like Martinien Tega, Demien Tekou, Joseph Sandra, Flaubert Douanla as well as Clovis Guewa who constitute team A of the country’s representatives, hopes are high that an excellent competition could be in offing. They have a wealth of experience in the competition’s nine years of existence and would need to prove that experience could triumph over exuberance from youthful cyclists announced from newcomer-Soa Tome and Principe as well as old-timers like Congo, Central African Republic, Angola, Gabon, Japan, France and Slovakia.

While these cyclists will be battling to re-emerge, others will be striving to bold their names in the competition’s records. These are the likes of team B holders: Francklin Nguinkem, Noel Tenetsop, Isidore Nokedjeu, Martin Ngue Ngock and co as well as the youthful team, christened “equipe espoirs” manned by Dieudort Kemzon, Abessolo, Arthur Tella and Simon Sandeau, among others. Besides their ambitions to excel, make a name and honour the country, the National Technical Director, Jean Philippe Duracka, sounded upbeat that with three weeks of intense camping, Cameroon could once again wear the highly-priced yellow jersey. The last time the country won the yellow jersey, considered as the overall best by the International Cycling Union, was in 2006 through Flaubert Douanla.

The terrain is not unknown to the cyclists neither do they need to acclimatise. Ensuring that their bonuses are paid on time and that they are motivated in other ways would be an added push that could propel the boys to stretch limits and mount the podium when the tour rounds off on October 9, 2010.

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