Hailing from a football background, Selam Amha Gerefiel took up cycling in 2016. Despite facing many obstacles and challenges, she persisted with her cycling career. She has been twice the national road champion (2016, 2018), twice the U23 ITT African Continental Champion (2018, 2019), and Elite ITT African Continental Champion (2019), and represented Ethiopia at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Selam spent three seasons racing in Europe with the World Cycling Centre (WCC). The 26-year-old rider gained confidence and experience racing in the peloton and looks forward to sharing her experiences with her teammates. 

“I began cycling in the beginning of 2016. Although I was previously a footballer, cycling had become my favourite sport. I found many obstacles when starting, such as a need for more support for female cyclists whose role in Ethiopia is seen inside the home and not outside riding bikes, and the lack of cycling in my home town compared to football and running. I was invited to a training camp in Rwanda, but unfortunately, I could not go due to a lack of funds and difficulty accessing a passport. There are many strong female riders in Ethiopia, but receiving invitations to international races and travelling outside the country is difficult. 

In 2021, I joined the World Cycling Centre(WCC) team, where I gained confidence and positivity in my life. Back home, I had little information from my family due to the war in my region, and the support from the WCC team will always hold a special place in my heart. 

I have a lot of good and bad memories of cycling, but I still love it and am looking forward to riding again in 2024. I have met many new people and cyclists from around the world and shared many happy memories. 

Some of my biggest results are being twice the national road champion (2016, 2018), twice the U23 ITT African Continental Champion (2018, 2019), and an elite  ITT African Continental Champion (2019), and competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

I enjoy racing in the mountains and time trials. I’m very excited to join CANYON//SRAM Generation next year. I aim to be a better person and cyclist and to help my teammates and staff on and off the bike,” says Selam.