Laying Down A Legacy: Florence In Uganda

On the outskirts of Masaka City, 130km from Uganda’s capital of Kampala, sits the home community of CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation cyclist, Florence Nakagwa.

The 20-year-old grew up watching her father and brother race bikes, but she never imagined cycling could be for her. Football and volleyball were considered the “appropriate” sports for girls in Ugandan culture, and that was where her focus lay.

It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic, when she began making 50km return trips on undulating, unpaved roads delivering food and medicine to her grandparents, that she truly discovered her own connection to cycling. Over time, she realised it could be more than a means of transport – it could be her sport too. The dream of turning professional was born in 2021.

Strong-minded and determined, Florence has steadily pushed societal norms aside. She became the first female to join the Masaka Cycling Club, a community-focused local team that nurtures young talent, and went on to become the first Ugandan female cyclist to join a UCI team in Europe, signing with CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation for the 2024 season. Visa delays meant she could only join the team at the December camp in Portugal ahead of the 2025 season, but her commitment and motivation during the protracted time at home remained undeterred.

Today, Florence is already focused on laying the beginnings of her own legacy, inspiring the next generation of Ugandan women to take up cycling, all while getting her own career off the ground. She’s proving that bikes can be for anyone, no matter what people say, as attitudes shift and women’s cycling in Uganda slowly evolves.

See her journey for yourself and meet the self-titled “student of the sport,” where she’s at her most content.

Find out more about CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto and CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation:
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Producer/ Director: ©D.O.P Deo Kuset
Editor: Isak Friberg

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@zondacrypto