ARUSHA: Vodacom Tanzania’s call to the organisers of the Twende Butiama Cycling Expedition to change the routes of the 1500km grand race has been answered, and the two regions will participate fully this year.
The Twende Butiama Expedition starts in Dar es Salaam and completes its 15-day ride at Butiama in the Mara region.
Speaking in Arusha, Zuweaina Farah, Director of Vodacom Tanzania, had advised organisers to include Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions in their routes since the two regions deserve a part in the route set up as tourist hubs.
For the third year now, Vodacom Foundation Tanzania has been sponsoring the ‘Twende Butiama’ cycling expeditions.
Zuweina Farah, who is also the public relations officer for Vodacom, says the company has been especially covering the areas of education and environment.
“Vodacom Tanzania is marking the 25th Anniversary of Operations in Tanzania in 2025, and throughout the time we have been donating desks for 34 local schools and so far, planting over 70,000 tree seedlings during the ‘Twende Butiama’ missions,” she said.
According to Zuweina, Vodacom had advised the coordinators to change the cycling route, which is why, for the first time, the riders will pass through Arusha and Kilimanjaro instead of Dodoma as in the past.
The third edition of ‘Twende Butiama Cycling expedition starts in Dar es Salaam and takes over two weeks to complete its 1541 km ride to Butiama in the Mara region.
“Other than honoring the Father of the Nation, Mwalimu Nyerere, the cyclist expedition, which runs for the seventh year in a row, targets to support education, health, and environmental initiatives,” said the chairperson of the ‘Twende Butiama’ expedition, Gabriel Landa.
More than 200 cyclists will ride more than 1541 kilometers between Dar es Salaam and Butiama, the latter being the birthplace of the founding father of the nation, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
Teams include young riders of 15 years and below, senior cyclists described as ‘Masters,’ as well as female riders.
They will punctuate the journey with tree planting sessions en route.
Participants will also hail from neighboring countries, such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Malawi, and Zambia
The entourage, using all types of machines, including ordinary and mountain bikes, is to cycle through the Coastal (Pwani) Region, after being flagged off from Dar es Salaam city.
The riders will then move into Tanga, Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Manyara, Singida, Tabora, Shinyanga, Simiyu, and finally Mara, in that order, before climaxing the mission at Mwalimu’s village in the Butiama District of Mara.
Some riders will join along the way, the original 120 will cover all routes, but others who join the expedition from Kilimanjaro, Arusha, and other regions may boost the number to more than 200.
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On his part, Mosses Andrea, the chairperson of the Arusha Cycling Association, said he will be participating in the 2025 ‘Twende Butiama,’ and make use of the 15 riding days as some form of exercise.
