Eyeru Tesfoam Gebru will return to Team Abadie-Magnan for 2027, rejoining the French organisation that helped her rebuild her professional cycling career after fleeing the war in Ethiopia. The 29-year-old climber, who represented the Refugee Olympic Team at Paris 2024, has made qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Games a longer-term ambition.
The team announced her return with a message welcoming Eyeru “home”, highlighting both her ability on mountainous courses and the experience she brings to its developing squad. She previously raced for the organisation in 2023 and 2024 when it competed as Grand Est–Komugi, before spending the past two seasons with French club Team Buffaz Gestion de Patrimoine.
For Gebru, the move restores a partnership built during an important period in her career. “I’m very happy to join Team Abadie Magnan for next season,” she said in a statement translated from French. “The team’s values, ambitions and atmosphere suit me perfectly.” She added that she was looking forward to seeing familiar faces and meeting the squad’s new arrivals.
A return to the team that helped her race again
Gebru’s relationship with the French outfit stretches back to her return to international competition in 2023. Having previously represented the UCI World Cycling Centre team in 2019 and 2020, she spent an extended period away from racing after war broke out in her native Tigray region of Ethiopia. She eventually reached Europe and was granted refugee status in France in July 2022.
Her first season with Grand Est–Komugi–La Fabrique in 2023 marked a return to regular racing after that interruption. She competed in the Tour de Suisse Women and other international events, while continuing to train towards a goal that had taken on a significance beyond her results: competing at the Olympic Games.
That dream became reality at Paris 2024, when Gebru was selected for the Refugee Olympic Team in the women’s road race. She also carried the Olympic flame during the build-up to the Games, an achievement ProCyclingUK reported ahead of Paris 2024. She did not finish the Olympic road race, but her selection followed several difficult years in which continuing as a racing cyclist was far from certain.
Climbing experience and the road towards Los Angeles
The team describes Gebru as a gifted climber who can contribute when races feature sustained elevation gain. That assessment is consistent with her earlier performances, which include the mountains classification at the 2018 Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l’Ardèche and further experience in difficult stage races across Europe.
Her most recent results are more modest. In 2026, she finished 30th overall at the Premondiale Giro Toscana Internazionale Femminile, 26th at the Tour du Haut Limousin Féminin and 29th at the Mirabelle Classic. Those placings reflect a rider continuing to compete internationally, but they do not yet suggest that Olympic qualification for 2028 is assured.
For Team Abadie-Magnan, the immediate opportunity is to provide Gebru with a regular racing programme and a familiar environment in which to develop. The Los Angeles Games give the partnership a longer-term objective, although the route to selection and qualification will depend on the eligibility and qualifying arrangements in place for 2028.
Abadie-Magnan rebuilds its place in the women’s peloton
The team’s history explains why its announcement places so much emphasis on Gebru returning home. The former Komugi Grand Est structure disappeared from the professional peloton after 2024, but the organisation returned in 2026 as Team Abadie-Magnan under manager Laurent Goglione, with a new title partnership and a renewed focus on women’s racing.
The squad has been retaining riders as it prepares for another season. Léane Tabu has already extended her contract for 2027, and Gebru’s return adds a rider who knows both the staff and the organisation’s earlier identity.
Gebru said she was keen to begin new adventures with the team “with passion, commitment and plenty of enjoyment”. The immediate priority will be returning to competitive form in the mountains, while the possibility of a second Olympic appearance provides a reason to look further ahead.
