{"id":55681,"date":"2025-09-19T19:29:40","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T19:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/italian-family-cycles-1-500km-from-zambia-to-kigali-for-uci-world-championships\/"},"modified":"2025-09-21T17:34:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T17:34:02","slug":"italian-family-cycles-1-500km-from-zambia-to-kigali-for-uci-world-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/italian-family-cycles-1-500km-from-zambia-to-kigali-for-uci-world-championships\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian family cycles 1,500km from Zambia to Kigali for UCI World Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Matteo Sametti and his four children set off from Kasama, Zambia, on August 21. Riding through Tanzania, Burundi, and finally into Rwanda, the family endured steep climbs and long days on the road before arriving in Kigali mid this week, just in time for the cycling spectacle.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">From Kasama, Zambia, to Kigali, Rwanda, Matteo Sametti and his family cycled 1,500 km across steep climbs to enjoy the UCI Road World Championships.<\/p>\n<p>Their incredible determination and spirit of adventure brought them all the way to Kigali. Now it\u2019s your turn to show the same\u2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ueDPR1An9p\">pic.twitter.com\/ueDPR1An9p<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; &#120286;&#120310;&#120308;&#120302;&#120313;&#120310; &#120814;&#120812;&#120814;&#120817; (@Kigali2025) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kigali2025\/status\/1968689021418148263?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 18, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cWe are very passionate about cycling, and I thought it was a unique opportunity to pass through different countries and cultures with my children,\u201d Sametti said, after arriving in Kigali with his children Winnie, Abraham, Osea, and Giuditta.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEven if it was a big effort, especially in Burundi and Rwanda, where the mountains are a lot, we enjoyed it very much. We were surprised at how strong and tough the kids were.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94735 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_1new.jpg\" alt=\"The family completed a remarkable 1,500-kilometre journey across four countries to witness the first UCI Road World Championships ever held in Africa.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>For Sametti, who hails from a cycling-rich region of Italy, the journey was about more than sport. He said cycling offers \u201cthe right speed\u201d to connect with people and landscapes. <\/p>\n<p>His children, he added, have inherited the same passion: \u201cOur love for cycling comes from my Italian origin, and I am even surprised that my children share this passion and talent.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94732 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_8new.jpg\" alt=\"Matteo Sametti praised Rwanda\u2019s roads as well-engineered and well-maintained.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The family praised Rwanda\u2019s roads as well-engineered and well-maintained, noting that mountain routes resembled those in Europe but were less punishing than Burundi\u2019s steep ascents. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe roads here are very good, very nice, and well studied,\u201d Sametti said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94730 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_11new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>While they look forward to cheering for Italian riders \u2013 with Matteo personally backing Tadej Poga\u010dar and Pellizzari as favourites \u2013 family loyalties remain divided. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWinnie supports Zambia, I support Italy,\u201d Sametti laughed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94731 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_10new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>The family plans to participate in the social ride on September 20 before settling in as spectators.<\/p>\n<p>The UCI Road World Championships, set for September 21\u201328, will feature 13 races with 1,400 participants from 109 countries. More than 900 riders will compete for the coveted rainbow jerseys, including Rwanda\u2019s 54-strong delegation, one of the largest at the event.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94729 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_12new.jpg\" alt=\"Matteo Sametti praised Rwanda\u2019s roads as well-engineered and well-maintained.\" \/><\/figure>\n<p>With 700 accredited journalists, coverage by 80 broadcasters, and a projected global audience of 330 million viewers, Kigali is set to shine as the world\u2019s cycling capital for a week.<\/p>\n<p>For Sametti and his children, the journey itself has already been a victory. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t believe we are here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are all happy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94728 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_14new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94727 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_15new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94726 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_16new.jpg\" alt=\" Riding through Tanzania, Burundi, and finally into Rwanda, the family endured steep climbs and long days on the road before arriving in Kigali mid this week, just in time for the cycling spectacle.\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94734 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_3new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"spip-document spip-document-94733 aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/jpg\/image_9new.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An Italian family living in Zambia has pedalled its way into Kigali, completing a remarkable 1,500-kilometre journey across four countries to witness the first UCI Road World Championships ever held in Africa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000094738,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-55681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-homenews","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default 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