Canyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation have secured one of Africa’s brightest emerging talents, confirming the signing of Ethiopian sensation Tsige Kahsay Kiros on a long-term contract running until 2028. The move caps a breakthrough season in which the 18-year-old not only dominated the African junior scene, but also delivered a historic performance at the UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda that has reshaped expectations for her future.
A signing that reflects a rapid, remarkable rise
Kiros arrives from the UCI World Cycling Centre pathway after a year that began with victory on four of the five stages at the Tour Tigrai Women Stage Race, followed by the Ethiopian junior road race title in June. She then stepped into European racing with the WCC programme, basing herself in Brittany and lining up for a wide array of French and international events.
Despite being U19 in a U23 field, she finished 22nd overall at the 2025 Tour de l’Avenir Femmes and won the Most Combative prize on Stage 3 – an effort that first caught the attention of Canyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation sports director Gosia Jasinska. Jasinska later described watching Kiros attack, crash, chase back, and then drop riders on a decisive climb, calling it the moment she realised “she is a very good rider”.
One month later, the junior women’s road race at the Rwanda Worlds transformed that promise into global visibility.
Photo Credit: GettyA Worlds ride that changed expectations
On a technical 74 km circuit across Kigali’s steep, cobbled climbs, Kiros rode with an authority rarely seen from a debutant. She animated the early laps, repeatedly driving the pace over the Côte de Kigali Golf and the cobbled Côte de Kimihurura. Even a mid-race crash failed to unsettle her. After remounting, she powered through the final ascent, closing the gap to the five-rider move in sight of the finish line and securing seventh place.
It was Ethiopia’s first-ever top-10 in any Road World Championships race.
Her WCC coach, Clint Trevino Hendricks, told Cyclingnews that the performance had not surprised those closest to her.
“We knew there was something there. We didn’t want to put too much pressure on her – she already puts a lot on herself – but we knew she could do something special.”
Hendricks described the impact of racing in Africa’s first Road Worlds: Kiros fed off the crowds, surged earlier than planned on the climbs, and had to be urged to “calm down” via soigneurs in the feedzone. Crucially, he sees only an upward trajectory ahead.
“She came very close, and there is definitely a lot of power there. She learns at her first World Championships. She will win the Tour de France Femmes one day.”
A journey shaped by discovery, altitude and determination
Kiros’ story began in Adigudem in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, where she grew up training at 2250 metres and racing with the Mesfin Engineering Cycling Team. Her talent was first identified not by a coach, but by a local mechanic who tipped off the Ethiopian Cycling Federation. That led to testing with the World Cycling Centre’s satellite programme in South Africa and, from there, a full European racing season with the WCC Team.
Her racing has been defined by aggression and resilience: high-altitude climbing strength, a readiness to attack, and an unaffected hunger to race. As Hendricks put it, “she is not afraid to move. She does not wait for others.”
A dominant finish to 2025
Only days before signing with Canyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation, Kiros completed a commanding African Continental Championships in Kenya. She took the junior women’s time trial title on 20 November, then returned the following day to win the 64.5 km road race ahead of Rwanda’s Yvonne Masengesho and compatriot Kssanet Gebreslasse.
Those victories, combined with her Worlds performance, underlined the scale of her potential.
Photo Credit: GettyCanyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation prepare to guide the next phase
Kiros expressed her gratitude and ambition as she looks toward 2026.
“For 2026, I hope I’m going to have good races and good times with the team. I want better results than before. I’m going to race with bigger teams, but I hope I can still make results. Thank you so much, Canyon SRAM zondacrypto, for giving me this opportunity.”
The team, which has prioritised African development since 2022, will support her transition into full-time European racing – from tactics and handling skills to life away from home.
Jasinska emphasised the long-term view. Kiros will be one of their strongest pure climbers, but they intend to develop her steadily, knowing her progress so far has been both rapid and unusually instinctive.
A young rider already embraced by the sport
Kiros has also become an unexpected public figure thanks to a viral moment at the 2025 Tour de France, when Tadej Pogačar handed her the winner’s flowers and later invited her for a training ride before Worlds. Her emotional reaction resonated widely and brought fresh attention to her journey.
Now, with a multi-year contract secured and the backing of a top-tier development programme, she enters 2026 as one of the most compelling young climbers in the sport.
What Canyon SRAM zondacrypto Generation have gained is not simply a promising junior, but a rider whose trajectory already suggests world-class potential – and, as her coach warned with striking confidence, a future contender for the yellow jersey.
