Just Keep Riding: Cycling through Civil War

Goma is a low-slung city on the eastern border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The nearby Mount Nyiragongo, an ill-tempered vulcan giant, steams menacingly just a few kilometers north of the city. Rwanda forms the city’s eastern border, and to the south is Lake Kivu. From the west, from within, and elsewhere Goma is besieged by a long violent history of civil conflict that continues into the present.

Joel Kyaviro grew up in embattled Goma. One night an artillery shell burst through the roof of his family home, killing his brother, and leaving the family without house or home. Amidst the turmoil and bleak horizons of childhood in Goma, Joel discovered cycling. Following in his brother’s footsteps, he was crowned National Road Race Champion of the DRC in 2023, a result that led to his signing with Team AMANI, a UCI Pro-Continental Team created with the purpose of developing cycling in East Africa. Now a professional cyclist, Joel continues to live and train out of Goma.

Joel recently founded Tumaini Cycling Academy, an organization dedicated to empowering young boys and girls through sport and community. Tumaini means “hope” is Swahili, and hope is exactly what Joel is offering to the youth of Goma. 

This past Monday morning, Joel joined us via Zoom to share his story and discuss his work with Tumaini Cycling Academy. In stark terms, he described life in Goma in times of war and spoke about his belief in the redemptive power of two wheels. 

Learn more about Tumaini Cycling Academy by visiting their Facebook or Instagram. 

Thank you to Joel for taking the time to speak with us, and a special thank you to friend of the school Bill Donahue, author of Unbound: Unforgettable True Stories from the World of Endurance Sports (2024) for introducing us to Joel and Tumaini Cycling Academy.