Ghana Police Cycling Team rider Solomon Tagoe has won the men’s elite race at the 2026 Duku Cycling Championship after a thrilling 120-kilometre contest in Osu.
Tagoe held off teammate Francis Owusu in a tense final sprint on Sunday, August 9, to claim the top prize at the fourth edition of the Duku Cycling Festival.
The men’s elite race featured 80 riders, including 69 men and 11 women, with the men’s category covering 30 laps of the Osu circuit.
The race quickly developed into a tactical contest, with Frank Akuffo, Emmanuel Sesi, Victor Cudjoe, Prince Adjei, Solomon Tagoe, Francis Owusu and Alexander Allotey among the early riders testing the field.
With 20 laps remaining, a five-man Police contingent and a rider from Obour Cycling Club established control at the front as the pace intensified.
The decisive move came with four laps to go when Tagoe and Owusu broke away from the leading group and opened a gap over their closest challengers.
Despite efforts from Frank Akuffo, Victor Cudjoe, Emmanuel Sesi and Prince Quaye, as well as riders from Gladiators, Team Sky and FCG, the chasing group could not close the gap.
Tagoe eventually produced the stronger finish to beat Owusu, while fellow Police rider Victor Cudjoe Akpabli completed the podium in third place.
Frank Akuffo finished fourth, followed by Prince Quaye in fifth and Emmanuel Sesi in sixth.
The race was completed at an average speed of 33.27km/h, with the winner recording a time of three hours and 36 minutes. Of the 80 riders who started, 45 were dropped during the race, while 20 completed the course.
Women’s race
The women’s category covered 50 kilometres over 12 laps, with Nigerian rider Patience Effiong Otu taking first place.
Gladiators’ Ellen Anim finished second, while Abigail and Kensema completed the other leading positions according to the organisers.
Fifteen riders started the women’s race, with six failing to finish.
The event was held as part of the Osu Homowo celebrations and brought together cyclists from various clubs and security services.
Special Guest of Honour and former South Tongu MP, Kobla Mensah Wisdom Woyome, who chairs the Ghana Olympic Committee’s Government Relations and Stakeholders Subcommittee, encouraged young cyclists to view the sport as more than recreation.
“Do not see the bicycle only as a means of transport. See it as an opportunity. A leisure cyclist can gradually develop into a competitive cyclist and eventually a professional athlete representing Ghana on the international stage,” he said.
He commended the Ghana Cycling Federation and organisers of the Duku Cycling Festival for sustaining the event and providing a platform for talent identification and development.
The Ghana Police Cycling Team’s strong showing, including the top three positions, highlighted the growing involvement of Ghana’s security services in competitive cycling.
The fourth edition of the Duku Cycling Championship forms part of efforts to use the sport to promote fitness, talent development and greater community participation in cycling.
