Ethiopian Airlines is delighted to announce the creation of a cycling team to participate in the continental division in 2024. Led by veteran Directeur Sportif Damian Ippofix, the team will aim to showcase the best cycling talent on the African continent and slowly work its way up the divisions. Let’s take a closer look at the team’s sponsors:

Founded in 1945, Ethiopian quickly grew to one of the biggest and safest airlines in Africa. Today, they serve 155 passenger destinations, 66 of which in Africa – more than any other airline. This pan-African focus allows the team to scout for talent all over the continent. While some Ethiopian representation is sure to be targeted, having a wide range of African nationalities in the team is the goal.

The Shenzhen based company is a relative newcomer to the world of professional cycling. Offering top quality carbon frames and wheelsets at a cut-rate price, the brand hopes to expand into the growing African market and establish itself as a serious option for ambitious CT teams.

Fellow Shenzhen company Spexcel is known for its affordable made-to-order cycling gear. With this sponsorship, they enter the realm of professional cycling for the first time, hoping to grow their brand and establish themselves as the premier alternative to expensive European legacy brands.

This refreshing Kenyan lager is one of the most popular beers in Africa, and for good reason. The team bus will stay stocked with ice-cold tuskers ready to be popped whenever there’s a victory to celebrate.

Another Kenyan sponsor showcases the teams investment in the East Africa region as a whole. One of the most profitable companies in Africa, offering telecommunications and ecommerce services amongst others, their involvement is sure to provide a welcome injection of cash and exposure.

Opening Press Conference
2024 Team Presentation
Late Transfer Drama & Jersey Reveal
Goals & January Preview

It is a hot evening in Addis Ababa. An Irishman, an Ethiopian, and a Chinese man sit at a table in an upmarket hotel. What sounds like the beginning of a dodgy joke is something nearly equally as bizarre: the launch of a professional cycling team. The Irishman is veteran Directeur Sportif Damian Ippofix, who led Bank of Ireland to Pro Conti division in the mid-2010s, but disappeared under mysterious circumstances after three largely successful seasons. The Ethiopian and Chinese are high-ranking executives representing Ethiopian Airlines and ICAN Cycling – it is their money and their equipment that will turn this fledgling dream of a professional cycling team into reality.

At the moment, this so-called team is little more than a figment of these men’s imagination. A UCI license has been granted, but that is as far as the team has come. No riders have been signed, no equipment produced, no shirt designed. It will be a race against the clock to be ready to take to the start in January, but in this room, the mood is exuberant. A snazzy powerpoint presentation shows the team vision, and proves that while they may not have signed any cyclists or DS’ yet, they have clearly hired a capable communications intern.

The content of the presentation is easily summed up: gather the brightest talent from around Africa and build sustainably towards a future in the higher divisions. Main sponsor Ethiopian Airlines is the biggest African airline, and one of the biggest corporations on the continent. While they will demand some Ethiopian representation on the team, their main focus is to grow their brand across the continent to remain the number one choice for flying from Algeria to Zimbabwe and anywhere in between.

The Chinese involvement is rather nebulous at current. It is no secret that Ethiopia is a particular focus of Chinese foreign policy and economic relations. Chinese companies are encouraged to “go out� to Ethiopia as part of the Chinese government’s Going Global Strategy, therefore it is no surprise to see bike and clothing sponsors from the middle kingdom. Whether this will have any effects on the team’s calendar and roster remains to be seen.

Following the presentation, the floor is opened up to the handful of disinterested local journalists dispersed throughout the room, and members of the cycling media connecting via zoom:

Damian, what a surprise to see you in the public eye again. Your Bank of Ireland team looked to make a big push towards the Pro Tour in 2016, yet you disappeared under mysterious circumstances – what happened?
Well, it was a complicated story. We had made some good progress in our first two seasons, but had failed to really make an impression. Aussie Jay McCarthy had given us some good moments, and Sam Bennett was a real fan favourite in the sprints, but our sponsors wanted more. Bank of Ireland had invested a lot of money, but the profile of the team was still fairly low back in Ireland. So, before the transfer window opened, we made a plan: sign the biggest Irish talent around and blow the division wide opened. Which we did! We signed Dan Martin, who really had no business being outside the Pro Tour. But it just never really clicked. Dan could only race an extremely limited amount of days, the team was imbalanced, and we were treading water. We weren’t in danger of relegation, but we also weren’t looking at promotion. The sponsors weren’t happy – we had gambled big, and lost. They wanted out, and truth be told, so did I. I felt like a failure, I couldn’t handle it. I took off, and moved far away from the world of pro cycling. I spent some time traveling, visiting places where no one had ever heard of the Tour de France. But it never quite left me. I have been working for a number of years with two charities, bringing coaching and equipment to promising young cyclists in East Africa. When Ethiopian Airlines signaled their interest in expanding their sports sponsorship, I knew what an opportunity that could be, and then things moved quite quickly – that’s how we got here.

What lessons can you take from your time with Bank of Ireland? What will you do differently?
Well, it wasn’t all bad – we got promoted in our first season, and we comfortably avoided relegation for two years. What worked well was our clear hierarchies. We always had two really strong leaders that we thought could win any race they entered. Of course, this only really turned out to be accurate for Jay McCarthy, but it got us consistent top 10 performances and kept the ranking points ticking over. On the flip side, that made us very one-dimensional. If our leaders weren’t firing, we were toast. Being more well-rounded, both in terms of the profile of our leaders and in terms of having able deputies that can step in for them is certainly on our to-do list.

Your team is based in Ethiopia, a country that currently boasts four professional cyclists. Have you unearthed some hidden gems or are you looking further afield for your signings?
I think that’s a bit too early to say. While it is true that there are only four riders currently under contract, there are a couple more that may have the potential to at least round out the squad. We will see after renewals have processed if there are any interesting Ethiopian free agents, and we will of course explore the possibility of acquiring some via transfers too. In general, we are lucky that our focus is explicitly on Africa as a whole, and not limited to Ethiopia. Of course we are very proudly Ethiopian and definitely want some representation, but we will certainly look further afield. At the end of the day, cycling is a results business, and if we need to sign some mercenaries from other continents to be competitive, then so be it. All that being said, let’s see what the transfer season holds.