By 
Cyclist from across Tanzania will be out to prove their worth in this year’s Majimaji Selebuka Festival’s race, which takes place in Ruvuma today.
Several cyclists that include the competitors who held sway in the last year’s race have already made their way to the region.
The race, which will stretch for 100 kilometers, will start at the Maji Maji Memorial Museum ground to Liganga and back to the venue.
This year’s competition, as noted by the festival’s coordinator Rainafrida Rwezaura, chiefly targets to motivate Tanzanians to cherish healthy lifestyle.
“The competition had right from the start of the festivals geared towards developing cycling, we have to some extent accomplished it and now we are aiming at motivating people to value healthy lifestyle by riding bicycles,” Rwezaura noted.
Masunda Duba, national cycling champion from Simiyu and fellow cyclist Boniphace Masunda have made their way to Ruvuma. The rest of the cyclists from Arusha, Manyara, Mbeya, Iringa and hosts Ruvuma are as well set to compete in the race.
Duba, who beat the rest of the competitors to the top honour in the last year’s race disclosed he has prepared well for this year’s race and he is targeting to again emerge as champion.
“I thank God we are in great shape. I’m focusing on winning this race again,” Duba disclosed.
“The last year’s race was my first spell in the competition, therefore, there were plenty of challenges, I’m lately familiar with it.”
Duba won the hearts of cycling fans in the last year’s event, given he spent the shortest time in the race as he recorded 2:53.05 much as he used a normal bicycle.
“I will this time use a racing bicycle, my bosses have instructed me to use it,” he disclosed. Masunda took the second position with 2:54.21, Iringa’s Ipiyana Mbogela finished third with 3:06.55.
Winners of the race in men and women categories will receive 1m/-, the second-placed and third-placed cyclists will be presented with 700, 000/- and 500,000/- respectively.
Each of cyclists that will take the fourth to the 10th positions will get 50,000/-. The Majimaji Selebuka festival, which is hosted by a non-governmental organization, namely Songea Mississippi (So-Mi), will climax on Saturday.
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