The Chairman, Lagos State Sports Commission (LSSC), Kweku Tandoh, on Friday said the commission had given a full endorsement to the much anticipated CyclingLagos expected to ride off on August 25.

Tandoh in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after the organizer held a road show to herald the event, said that the competition which was expected to be one of the biggest in the state would be given all the necessary support.

“We are glad to be part of this great initiative, cycling is one of the sports that have great benefits. Aside from the competitive side, it also has a health support.

“Cycling is one of the events that have prospects in all structures, but it is a sport that cannot be handled alone by the government. The private sector participation is also key.

“The state will be hosting about three cycling events this year namely, Epe Rally, CyclingLagos, and the African Cycling Championships which are all private sector driven.

“What the state government will do in all these is to provide support, cycling requires a lot of funding for equipment and that is where the private sector comes in,’’ he said.

Tandoh said that hosting the event was part of the vision of the government at making the state the sports hub of Africa.

“We are glad to be part of this because it is in line with the vision of the executive governor of the state, Akinwunmi Ambode.

“We’re always happy to engage in partnerships with the private sectors in sports and youth activities, not just for its competitive value but sports encourages healthy living.

“In Lagos, we are privileged to have cycling clubs. These clubs have high network of individuals in the private sector, so we are encouraged to synergise with them.

“Our primary aim now is to get the grassroots involvement in it by having our school students participate in the event,’’ he said.

The Chairman Organising Committee, Soji Adeleye, said that the event would be one of the biggest cycling competitions in Nigeria due to the number of registered participants.

`At the initial plan, we hope to have about 1,000 cyclists, but now, we have passed that mark. This is a great plus for us to see the great number of cyclists registered.

“We are also expecting cyclists from across Africa, from Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and other African countries. It is going to be a great event.

“Cycling has a lot of benefits and not just the competitive aspect of it alone, we want to create a culture of cycling for our people to get them healthy,’’ he said.