Hello Folks!  Your intrepid reporter here researching all of the races that are fit to ride on the UCI calendar.  All of the races can’t be the Tour de France and that is where I come in and shine.  Or drink moonshine, I can’t remember which.

The all important second race of the UCI biking season is the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo.  The Bongo as it is affectionately known, is a road cycling race held in Gabon Africa and is part of the UCI Africa Tour.  Officially the Gabonese Republic is on the west coast of central Africa and located on the equator.  Frick it must be hot there.  The race consists of only a men’s competition, a race run over six stages (as of the 2010 edition).

Any past American winners of the race?  None, however Jussi “Lucy” Veikkanen from Finland “finnish-ed” first in the inaugural ride in 2006 followed by a crap ton of Frenchmen.  Ha, ha, ha.  I said “finnish-ed”.  Get it?  No?  Well, how about now?