Pump for Peace is a global initiative founded by Velosolutions with the goal of making cycling accessible to all, and they’re extending their project by launching a race team. Riders were selected from countries vulnerable to marginalisation and discrimination (as a consequence of social, cultural, economic and political conditions) and will participate in a selection of international events. The aim is to take down as many barriers as possible for the future generation of mountain bikers in their countries around the world.
“The idea of a Pump for Peace racing team has been there for a while, but we didn’t actually plan on making it happen already for 2022. When Ariane found out that Faranak was struggling to register for the World Cups, she called me just two weeks before Christmas, while I was laying asphalt on a pump track at the Syrian border in Turkey: – Why don’t we register a UCI team to get Faranak to the World Cups? As you can see, I agreed, and as you can imagine, this was a tiny little bit late to look for sponsors, which is why we are going to announce them as soon as we’ve found them.”
Claudio Caluori
Meet the Pump For Peace – Velosolutions team
Faranak Partoazar
Faranak’s battle started long before she could even compete on a race track, she had to fight passionately for the right to ride a bike freely as a woman in Iran. Her determination and persistence challenged and changed the negative attitude toward women cycling in her country. Finally starting her professional career in 2014, she has won all National titles and races in Iran, many International races as well as the first ever medals in Asian Championships representing Iran, the first in the history of the country for women and has relentlessly been pushing to change cycling perspectives to women in Iran and beyond.
Tumelo Makae
Tumelo is 26 years of age and hails from Lesotho, ardent about racing bikes mainly MTB (XCO) he is 5 x Lesotho National Elite Champion, a silver medal winner at African Championships 2017 (U23 category) and already joined the winning pairs team for Pump for Peace along with South Africa’s Cherie Redecker at the Swiss Epic in 2020.
Ariane Lüthi
Ariane is not done with her career and apart from co-managing the team she will keep racing on the highest level with Pump for Peace on her chest. She is a multiple winner of the most challenging mountain bike stage races in the world, including the Absa Cape Epic, the Cape Pioneer Trek and the Swiss Epic. She has finished 6th, 5th and 4th at the UCI XCM World Championships, and on the podium in third in 2020. However, Ariane is not only a valuable asset for her performances on the bike but in her inspiring role as an ambassador for equality and fairness in sport wherever her international racing calendar takes her. Promoting women’s cycling is another of Ariane’s passions which she pursues tirelessly, recently joining the rider council of the women’s riders’ union, The Cyclists’ Alliance. Ariane also regularly donates time and fund-raising efforts to a number of charities in her adopted home of South Africa.
