In the morning in Huye, at the presentation of the third stage of the Tour du Rwanda, something more than a simple two-wheeled partnership between Turkey and Eritrea takes shape in an Equatorial version. The general manager of Istanbul Cycling Team, Pelin Bayram, speaks about it with forward-looking vision and enthusiasm.

"Our team was founded in 2023 with a precise ambition: while maintaining our Turkish identity, we can certainly play the role of a bridge that our nation has always held. Your Italian teams know this too. The calendar in Turkey has been enriched, attracting European, Asian and other teams. And as for Eritrea, everything originates from the recognition of leadership at the African level. I therefore sought out profiles of Eritrean cyclists that would also strengthen a generational transition. The more experienced ones teach the younger ones, and this is also beneficial for national cyclists," says the manager and former cyclist, surrounded by a cohesive staff aware that Bayram, 36 years old, has solid studies in sports marketing of how special attention is being developed in Istanbul, also in terms of investments, towards this or that discipline—football and volleyball and more. Eritrea rewards Istanbul Cycling Team's choice, presenting itself at the Tour du Rwanda with a roster in which the illustrious surname is Mewael Girmay, brother of Biniam, third in the first stage that ended in Rwamagana and also in the breakaway towards Rusizi.

The role of "mentor" is convincingly exercised by Natnael Behrane, the 35-year-old senator always attentive to what Asmara has to offer: "I can say that it has a special value to accompany as a teammate the growth of Mewael or Aman Awet, like me launched by the World Cycling Center. In my time the UCI structure was called Centre Mondial du Cyclisme and for me it was a fundamental step before moving to Europcar in 2013."

It was the premise for reaching the World Tour with Dimension Data and Cofidis. "I lived in Italy in Lucca, and also shared significant experiences and developed friendship with Rwandan Adrien Niyonshuti. The knowledge I've built serves me now: the good calendar that the current team is able to offer also convinced me. If I can make myself available to other European cyclists I do so with pleasure. I remember speaking well in your country about Henok Mulubrhan and Natnael Tesfasion, who reached the World Tour with full merit. The talent that exists in Eritrea must be valued at its best." Behrane speaks in the present, but his clarity of ideas is already a guarantee for the future.