African Cyclists Compete in First Ever Tour of Democratic Republic of Congo

An international bike race is on our radar for our Geo Quiz.

No, not the Tour de France. This one isn’t nearly as well-known.

We’re talking about the “Tour of the DRC” — as in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Nine cycling teams are competing including riders from Tanzania, Rwanda, and Congo.

The race course is about 500 miles long. One highlight will be when the riders negotiate the crowded and chaotic streets of the capital, Kinshasa.

But what we want to know is: where did the race start?

Here are your clues:

It’s Congolese city is on the banks of the Congo River.

And it’s the DRC’s biggest seaport.

And while the Pyrenees rise up between the handlebars midway through the Tour de France, cyclists in the Tour de DRC get slammed with hills and unpaved roads on day one.

That’s because the city we want you to name is built on steep hills. Locals are said to be quite familiar with the verbs to go up, to go down, and to sweat.
This summer brings the Tour de France. And it will be interesting to see how this year’s Tour goes, given the Lance Armstrong doping scandal and revelations that many other Tour de France riders have also used performance enhancing drugs.

Hopefully one of cycling’s newest competitions won’t be tainted with any doping scandals.

New Yorker journalist Phillip Gourevitch talks with The World about why the DRC is hosting a bicycle race, and what this sporting event means as it follows more than 15 years of bloody fighting and government corruption.