We’ve only gone and sponsored an African cycling team!

Cycling has always been a passion here at Speak Media, as anyone who has worked (or ridden) with us will testify.

From our early support for local grassroots events and organisations here in London – including the inaugural Urban Hill Climb and the Herne Hill Velodrome campaign – to producing race programmes for high profile events like Revolution, we’re always on the lookout for ways to bring our creative content chops to anything ride-related.

So, when our friends at Big Boys Bicycle Club (ex-Speak copywriter Tom Owen among them) mentioned they were lending their support to a new cycling team in Sierra Leone, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to get involved in another bike-based adventure.

Lunsar Cycling Team is a new and fast-developing club based in Lunsar – a mining town in the north of the country – who count the women's national road champion in their number, not to mention riders who placed third, fourth and fifth in the men's championship race.

Despite their promising potential, a lack of sponsorship means Lunsar had trouble getting hold of the gear that many cycling teams take for granted – including mitts and Lycra jerseys – so Speak stepped in as kit sponsor.

The first consignment of the new kit – a custom hot-weather design produced by performance cycle clothing makers Milltag – is set to be delivered to Lunsar in January 2018 by Street Child, the UK-based charity that organises the West Africa Cycle Challenge.

Paul Williams, client services director at Speak Media, said: “We’re really proud to be playing a part in the development of what we hope will grow into a major cycling team, competing at the highest level in Sierra Leone and beyond.”

We’ll bring you more updates on Lunsar Cycling Team as the team gears up for the 2018 season –in the meantime you can visit their Facebook page here.