Angolan cyclists ride potholed road to glory

This is particularly true in Angola, a country that has been ravaged by a lengthy civil war.

Yet despite the problems, a small and enthusiastic cycling club thrives in the coastal town of Benguela some 550 kilometers south of Angola's capital Luanda.

It was once the biggest port for the shipment of slaves to South America.

It is shortly after five in the town and Miguel still has an hour of training before darkness starts to fall. Miguel should have arrived home by now since riding a bicycle in the dark in Africa is seldom a good idea. “You have almost no chance of avoiding the many potholes in the road,” said the 17-year-old explains.

Not surprisingly, the sport of cycling in Africa is not very well-developed. In most countries on this huge continent the road network is simply not good enough, but the main reason seems to be a chronic lack of money to buy equipment.

This is very evident in Angola. The huge country in the southwest of the continent is still recovering from the aftermath of a 27-year civil war which cost around a million Angolan lives.

Almost the entire infrastructure of the former Portuguese colony was destroyed roads, bridges, train tracks, businesses: 2002 when the war formally ended, most of the country lay in ruins and the rebuilding process is taking its time.

The oil reserves that are to be found just off the Angolan coast have led to a life of surplus and luxury for a small minority but the country's new found wealth has certainly not reached the majority of the population.

The percentage of children going to school in Angola is much lower than in most other African countries even those that are much poorer - and officials are expecting little change by 2015.

Two thirds of Angolans live below the poverty line of one dollar per day, every fourth child dies before turning five. Sickness owing to the lack of hygiene and malaria are the biggest killers, but unlike most other African countries the immune disease Aids is not such a huge problem: This is a result of the virtual isolation forced upon Angola by the lengthy civil war.

Unlike many other children in his age group, Miguel has attended school and even speaks a few words of English. “I would love to become a lawyer,” he says, but his family is not able to pay the university fees.

So instead of furthering his education the teenager spends his mornings helping his mother in the Caponte, the huge market on the outskirts of Benguela.

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