肯尼亚城市竞争东非自行车中心

肯尼亚城市竞争东非自行车中心

They make it look easy.

骑车对于他们来讲驾轻就熟。

But an elevations 1 of 1,000 to 1,600 meters above sea level, cycling these hills is anything but effortless.

但是在海拔1000-1600米的高峰骑车，就不是那么容易了。

That challenge makes Machakos County, Kenya, a showcase venue 2 for the abilities of East African cyclists during the second annual Tour de Machakos.

对于东非的骑手来说，第二届肯尼亚环查科斯自行车赛的此次挑战就成为了他们展现自己实力的舞台。

Twenty-three-year-old Cyrus Wambua is one of those riders. Born and raised in Machakos, Wambua has been riding since he was a child. He says his mother encouraged him to start.

23岁的赛勒斯·万巴就是其中之一。查科斯是他出生和生活的地方，万巴从小就开始练习骑车。他表示称他的妈妈鼓励他骑车。

My mother got inspired by that strong guy from the Tour de France, the Lance Armstrong, so I used to read documentaries 3 and when we were a small kid, they used to tell us that one day you’ll race like Lance Armstrong.

因为环法自行车赛的兰斯·阿姆斯特朗激励了她，所以我曾经看过许多纪录片，小时候他们经常跟我们说以后要成为像阿姆斯特朗这样的人。

Uganda’s national cycling coach, Jesper Fiedler, says this is one reason why Kenya's and East Africa’s cycling community has continued to grow over the years.

乌干达国家自行车教练杰斯珀·菲德勒表示称，这也是肯尼亚和东非自行车社区这些年不断进步的原因之一。

Partly, it’s the exposure on TV. More people can watch these races on TV, and then the more people who are riding around in different towns around East Africa, the exposure’s just bigger. So people, they see, and they say, Maybe we should pick up this sport.

部分原因是电视的普及。更多人能够在电视上观看比赛，在东非各个城镇参加比赛的人数也在增加，受众人数也在增加。所以，人们认为他们应该选择这项运动。

Race organizer Alex Tibwitta said Machakos has it all: Nice hills, well-maintained roads, good descents 4 and a government that supports the cycling community.

赛事主办方艾利克斯·维他表示称查科斯镇具备所有条件：山峰，完善的道路，下坡路段也不错，以及政府对自行车的支持。

I'm pretty confident that with the right nurturing 5, this is definitely the best place to base a sort of cycling in Kenya, and probably in East Africa.

有了这些发展，这里绝对是肯尼亚举办自行车赛的最佳地点，或许是在整个西非，我对此非常有信心。

Some of the best marathoners in the world either live or train in the Kenyan towns of Eldoret and Iten, locations that are known for their high elevations. Some cyclists think Machakos could eventually have that same reputation.

由于这里的高海拔，许多世界顶级马拉松运动员或在肯尼亚的埃尔多雷特和艾托生活，或是这这里训练。许多车手认为查科斯镇也会拥有同样的美名。

So definitely, this is a perfect place. If somebody wanted to build a camp up in the hills at maybe 2,100 meters, you’re more or less at the same level, as let’s say, Iten. So for sure, this could become a new cycle hub as well, that’s a perfect setting here, perfect, really good.

这里是最佳地点。如果你想在海拔2100米的山峰上搭建帐篷，你差不多会和其他山峰齐头并进，比如说艾托。所以，这里或将成为新的自行车中心，这里的环境真的相当好。

And for cyclists like Wambua, that would be very good news indeed.

对于像万巴这样的骑手，这确实是个好消息。

I like cycling so much because as a sport, it always keeps you busy in that you avoid bad company, don’t take drugs, even on the other side, it’s a source of living. You can earn something from the cycling event and you push your family, you do your things, and that’s all.

我喜欢骑车，因为作为一项运动，它可以让你忙碌起来，避免与坏人接触，不会服用药物，它也能够让我维持生计。通过参加自行车比赛挣钱，维持家庭的生活。

The Tour de Machakos is the biggest road race in Kenya, covering 400 kilometers around Machakos County.

环查科斯自行车赛是肯尼亚最大的公路赛事，覆盖面积为400公里。

This year there were 130 registered cyclists double the number from last year.

今年的报名人数为130人，是去年的两倍。