Views: 100
Faves: 0
Comments: 0
Words: Endura
The Pump for Peace Racing Team is a professional mountain bike team that draws its riders from marginalised countries and communities with the aim of forging pathways to high-performance cycling on the global stage. The goal is to help the team’s riders become leaders and through them inspire their communities to dream big while embracing the healthy lifestyle cycling promotes. Pump for Peace Racing will focus on the UCI XCO World Cup Series races, Continental Championships and selected stage races.
The team was founded in 2022 by former professional marathon specialist and multiple Cape Epic winner Ariane Lüthi and former downhill pro and founder of Velosolutions and its social project Pump for Peace , Claudio Caluori. The team is managed by Ariane and Andrea Raemy, who worked for Pump for Peace in its early stages, while Claudio helps the team with his network and by managing sponsorship relations. Pump for Peace Racing Team has already been hard at work breaking down barriers for future generations of mountain bikers from challenging circumstances, something that Endura passionately believes in.
The Pump for Peace Racing Team reveal their brand new Endura custom kit at the opening round of the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup in Lenzerheide, Switzerland. The team riders talk about the design which draws inspiration from the their home countries and the team’s logo and symbols promoting peace and love. Designed and handmade in Scotland, the garments showcase the Endura Custom team’s talents in producing kit for the world stage. Pump for Peace is a global initiative from Velosolutions, the world leaders in pump track design, which focusses on building pump tracks in underprivileged communities, with aims of making cycling and action sports more accessible than ever before.
 |
Making this a true partnership means a lot to us. Enabling us to have a real impact in the communities we serve through the Pump for Peace build projects and especially our race team. We’re looking forward to many adventures with Endura. |
Rider Profiles
Faranak Partoazar (Iran, 34)
Faranak’s first challenge in mountain biking wasn’t a sprint for the finish line. It was simply to ride her bike freely as a woman in Iran. While her battle continues daily her pioneering spirit has won her thousands of fans from across the globe and, crucially, helped change the negative attitude toward her home country. Meanwhile, Faranak’s persistence has taken her to the very highest level of the sport. Since starting her professional career in 2014 Faranak Partoazar has won every Iranian Championship title as well as many international races, including Iran’s first-ever medal at the Asian Championships
Tumelo Makae (Lesotho, 26)
Tumelo has raced his bike around the world and emerged as an icon for cycling in Lesotho, the land-locked kingdom in Southern Africa that’s known for its spectacular mountain. His racing exploits inspire a bike-mad community at home and despite his young age, Tumelo is already giving back to the next generation as a cycling coach. Tumelo is six-time Lesotho Champion, and African Championship silver medallist and a category winner at the Swiss Epic stage race in Switzerland.
Unathi Nxumalo (South Africa, 21)
Unathi grew up in Hammarsdale township, a rural village outside Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. He is a versatile cyclist who excels in mountain biking, road and gravel and has many top-10 South African Elite XCO finishes. Unathi has overcome some very traumatic experiences, losing both his father and his brother to gang violence but through his incredible work ethic is determined to chase his dreams.
The New Kit
The kit was designed by Aga Pomaranska, not only one of Endura Custom’s graphic design team but a former Scottish Pump Track champion and UCI Pump Track World Championship rider too. Working with the riders and staff, Aga has incorporated design elements such as Tehran’s Azadi Tower, a mokorotlo hat (the national symbol of Lesotho) and the South African flag.
Faranak – Azadi Tower:
It means freedom, it’s how I feel when I’m on the bike and the reason I fell in love with cycling from the first day. It’s all about that freedom. And it’s a symbol reminding me to fight even when things are difficult. And the tower shape means to me we should be moving towards a higher level (as it was also the inspiration for its architecture).
Tumelo – Mokorotlo Hat:
On our national day the 11th of March, which is the day the first king died, everyone in Lesotho wears the Mokorotlo hat. It’s a nice day because it feels like we all belong together. It gives me this united feeling. Outside of Lesotho I always feel proud to wear the Lesotho champion jersey or like at the Commonwealth Games wearing the Mokorotlo hat on the opening ceremony was special. Everyone can recognise us by the hat.
Unathi – South African Flag
It’s amazing that our flag shows different meaning about all the colours on it. The South African flag feels like home. When I am racing in SA kit it means something to me because on that kit there is the South African colours on it, which makes me proud of being a South African.
The design also features peace and love logos, which echo the Pump for Peace initiative’s founding ethos of uniting communities around the world through sport. Endura have been making custom cycling clothing for 30 years and the Production department is still based at the company’s headquarters in Scotland, just as it always has been. From design to delivery, there are over 60 people involved in creating custom cycle clothing for clubs, teams, shops, events and riding groups. Together they produce over 50,000 garments a gear, from scratch – rolls of plain fabric and components in at one end and finished pieces out at the other.
|
We’re stoked to on our new partnerships with the Pump for Peace Racing Team, their ethos aligns with Endura’s – removing the barriers that prevent people riding bikes. The rider’s stories have inspired our team to create an impactful kit that tells the story of the both riders and the team. We’re looking forward to seeing Faranak, Tumelo and Unathi racing in it on the World Cup circuit and welcoming them to Scotland – Endura’s playground – for the UCI World Championships later in the summer. |
