Tsige Kahsay Kiros made an instant impression on live broadcasts at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, announcing herself on the global cycling stage with an aggressive and courageous ride that saw her place seventh in the Junior Women’s Road Race.

Born and raised in Adi Gudom, 30 kilometres from Mekele, the capital of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, Tsige developed her talents at performance-boosting altitude levels of 2250 metres. After establishing herself as a commanding figure on the local scene with the Mesfin Engineering Cycling Team, her international career took flight in 2024 when she was scouted for the UCI World Cycling Centre. Following a successful stint at the UCI WCC Satellite Training Camp in South Africa, she joined the WCC European team and was based in Brittany, France, for training and racing from April in 2025.

Before making the leap to Europe, the 18-year-old dominated the Tour Tigrai Women Stage Race, winning four of the five stages and the overall title. She then went on to claim the Junior Women’s Road Race at the Ethiopian Championships in June.

In the build-up to her breakout Worlds result, Tsige was the youngest rider in the 2025 edition of the prestigious Tour de l’Avenir Femmes. Despite being U19 in an U23 field, she went wheel to wheel with established WorldTeam riders, winning the Most Combative prize on stage 3. After seven demanding stages, she finished 22nd in the general classification – an exceptional result given the context, and a clear sign that she was a rider to watch.

Closing out her impressive 2025 season, she claimed the junior time trial and road race double at the African Continental Championships before opening a new chapter with Generation, with a contract running through 2028.

Since 2022, CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto Generation has committed to providing opportunities for riders from Africa, so having an exceptional talent like Tsige in the team ranks is a true privilege.

Beyond her results on the bike, Tsige gained wider recognition when, during the 2025 Tour de France, she was unexpectedly handed the winner’s flowers by her idol, Tadej Pogačar.