The athlete - who was speaking at the end of the competition, which took place in the province of Huíla -, in statements to Angop, said that in the preparation phase for the competition there were eight women registered, but they ended up giving up at the last minute: "When we were preparing for the national championship we had eight women registered, but they dropped out at the last minute, without plausible reasons, so I had to win the national title in a race that I rode alone".
In order to increase the number of women practicing this sport, the cyclist defended that there needs to be more incentives from the authorities and the business community, since the value of the material can scare women.
She also added that the Angolan Cycling Federation should design incentive guidelines both in schools and other institutions to convince women to embrace cycling.
In turn, Osvaldo Manuel, vice-president of the federation, also showed concern about the current scenario. However, according to Angop, the official said he believed that in the near future this scenario could see improvements motivated by a campaign to integrate more women into that association.
According to Angop, a total of 102 athletes attended the national championship, of which only one was a woman.
