Tributes have poured in for the Kenyan cyclist Sule Kangangi who died while competing in a gravel race in the US.
He had been participating in the Vermont Overland race on Sunday where he reportedly suffered a fatal crash, according to a statement by his team.
“Sule is our captain, friend, brother. He is also a father, husband and son. Gaping holes are left when giant’s fall. Sule was a giant,” his Team AMANI posted on social media.
“Instead of leading us at the front of the pack, he will now lead us as our guiding pole star as we press forward in the realisation of his dream.”
The 33-year-old was competing alongside his fellow Kenyan cyclists John Kariuki, Nancy Akinyi and Uganda’s Jordan Schleck.
“Heart-breaking. My thoughts are with Sule’s friends and family,” Kenyan-born British cyclist Chris Froome posted on Twitter.
Wife of Kenya’s incoming president, William Ruto, Rachel Ruto, referred to Kangangi’s passing as the loss of “a friend and a mentor” to the region’s cycling community.
“My heartfelt condolences to his family, and the entire cycling community, that has lost a talented cyclist, a mentor and a friend,” she wrote. “We will all miss him as an individual. Kenya has lost a champion. Rest in peace Sule.”
The renowned Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya hosted the first gravel race in East Africa, with Kangangi taking first place in the men’s division.
Additionally, he competed for Kenya at the Commonwealth Games, All Africa Games, and Tour du Rwanda.
The Vermont Overland is a 59-mile (95-kilometre) dirt road bicycle race that includes nearly 7,000 feet (2,130 meteres) of climbing, according to the race’s website. About 900 cyclists were competing on Saturday in the race that begins and ends in the community of Brownsville in the town of West Windsor, officials said.
