From Safari Simbaz to the Yellow Jersey: Chris Froome’s Journey with David Kinjah

When Chris Froome stood on the podium in Paris wearing the maillot jaune, millions saw the glory of a champion. What few realized is that the foundation of his career was built far from the Champs-Élysées in the red soil and steep hills around Kikuyu, Kenya, riding with David Kinjah and the Safari Simbaz.

Kinjah, known locally as a legend of East African cycling, welcomed Froome into the Simbaz when the boy was just 13. His mother, Jane, had asked if her son could join their rides. What began as a tentative step into the pack soon became Froome’s cycling family.

Chris Froome as a teenager in Kenya, captured by his mother Jane.

As recounted in John Murray’s Ultimate Sports Heroes – Chris Froome: Cycling for the Yellow Jersey, Froome’s first rides were both grueling and unforgettable:

“Come on, Chris, keep going. Harambee.” “It’s a Swahili word meaning ‘Let’s all pull together.’ And that’s what the Safari Simbaz do for each other. We’re a team.”

The group rode up steep hills, down winding roads, and across bumpy tracks, always with Kinjah at the front, his dreadlocks flapping in the wind. Froome struggled at first, but the camaraderie carried him. Six hours later, exhausted but smiling, he had completed the toughest ride of his life.

“Well done,” said Kinjah. “I was really impressed by your efforts, especially since it was your first time. Will you come again? “Try stopping me!”

From then on, Froome spent most of his holidays with the Simbaz — sharing beds in Kinjah’s home, learning to repair bikes, and picking up Swahili until he could joke with his new teammates. The Simbaz even gave him a nickname: Murungaru, the lanky one.

These experiences instilled in Froome not only technical skill but also a deep sense of belonging and perseverance. In his own words years later, “It makes me thoughtful to see that little has changed here, which makes me want to do something.” True to that promise, Froome has continued to support Kinjah’s project.

Now, as his professional career nears its final chapters, Froome is working with Kinjah once again. Their shared vision is to give a new generation of riders the same opportunity Froome had: to discover the joy, discipline, and strength of cycling as a team of Simbaz.

Chris Froome with David Kinjah and the Safari Simbaz during his 2013 visit, shortly after winning his first Tour de France.