Ethiopian cyclist needs your help
Ethiopian cyclist Trhas Teklehaimanot Tesfay battles for cycling wins and to secure her status in the UK.
Trhas Teklehaimanot Tesfay is an Ethiopian cyclist who fled the war in her home country for the safety of the UK. She ended up living with two other women in a small flat in West London on less than £10 a week. A chance conversation with a volunteer at the West London Welcome (WLW) community centre, led to the discovery that not only was she a cyclist, but a national and African Continental champion.
What followed was a heart-warming story of cyclists and cycling brands and organisations working together. An initial fundraising drive got her a bike and cycling kit to get riding again. WLW then got in touch with TeamAfricaRising, who help and promote African cycling and cyclists worldwide. They used their contacts to get Trhas much-needed equipment, coaching and a British Cycling license; important to help her pursue her racing goals. They also got in touch with the UCI’s World Cycling Centre team, with whom Trhas had trained and raced with previously.
Refugee status
While all this help from the cycling community was going on, there was another side that also needed work. As a refugee Trhas needed to get her status in the UK officially confirmed. For a young person in a strange country this could be a daunting task. Fortunately she got help from WLW and TeamAfricaRising. These two groups raised the problems the Ethiopian cyclist was facing with the media.
Articles on the BBC and the Guardian, soon saw her situation being brought up in parliament. There, Andy Slaughter MP (Hammersmith, Labour) raised a question in the House of Commons about Trhas’ situation. After hearing about conditions she was facing in her refugee hostel, the Home Secretary agreed to look into her case. You can watch the full question and answer HERE (go to 14:38:20)
Racing starts
Since then Trhas’ situation has changed massively. She is now racing regularly with the Kingston Wheeler’s – who are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year – and has received a bike and kit from the UCI World Cycling Centre team. Her first rides were well below what she was used to, due to the poor food and conditions she endured when she first arrived. Since then she has started to show her previous form. With regular visits to the podium in local races, she’s now a 2nd cat, not bad considering how short a time she’s had to train. Trhas has also ridden two of the UK’s national road series races at Lincoln and Lancaster. She did well at both, riding as a lone rider against continental level teams.
Speaking about the Lincoln GP she said,““I like longer races like the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, but it was very hard because I didn’t recently do any long intervals, and I have been out of big races for a long time, but hopefully I will be back to my real performance step by step!”
Trhas and DAS!
In an example of how supportive road-racing can be, despite it’s aggressive exterior, is the help offered by DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK. They have been helping Trhas with transport to events and feeding her during races. The Ethiopian cyclist even rode a pre-race recon of the tough Lincoln circuit with them.
A new home!
Even better than those results is the news that one of the WLW supporters has offered to house Trhas for the foreseeable future. She now has her own space and access to a kitchen in a friendly, supportive environment. Now all that is left is for her status in the UK to be decided. At the moment the Trhas has an invitation from the UCI to join the Refugee Team at the World Championships, in Switzerland on 21-29 September 2024
Help this Ethiopian cyclist!
However before this can happen she needs to be granted official refugee status. This will allow her to get travel documents and fly to Switzerland for the world championships. Unfortunately the system in the UK isn’t the speediest and has not been friendly towards many claimants. However with the recent change of government it’s hoped that her case will be seen in a positive light. A petition has been started to bring Trhas’ case before the Home Secretary to grant her a substantive (asylum) interview. If you would like to help a young Ethiopian cyclist fulfil her dream then please sign the document.
We’ll keep an eye on young Trhas’ career. Maybe she’ll go on to emulate Binaim Girmay’s success on the world stage? We wish her luck!
Photos courtesy of WLW, TeamAfricaRising and Mark James.
