Hi there… get to know …
Francis Thoya (FT)
Francis is a servant leader in Mombasa County. The 52-year-old man is currently serving as the Deputy Governor in the County Government of Mombasa. Motivated by service he delivers for the people; Francis is also an alumnus of Moi University boasting of vast experience in Communication and Public Relations. Furthermore, he is a seasoned journalist with foot prints scattered across community service, land management and environmental conservation.
what pushed FT to cycling?
Passion – cycling
In August 2021, the career civil servant contracted covid-19 and had to spend 14 days at a hospital in Mombasa battling severe lung infection. On admission, the former journalist had fifty percent lung infection and had to be on oxygen to survive.
Doctors warned him that if he survived, the recovery will be gradual but punctuated with post recovery syndromes associated with toxins from medications.
However, there were positive suggestions where doctors recommended enhanced routine exercises to mitigate the side effects posed by the drugs administered during treatment.
Two weeks after being discharged and upon finishing reviews with the doctors; Francis resorted to cycling as part of exercising. Little did he know that this would turn out to be his new-found passion.
After leaving the hospital, I recall walking into a shop in Kongowea and purchasing a Raleigh size 29 mountain bike (MTB). It did not bother me much where I was going to ride this bike I had just bought,”
He was to exercise for the next six months, according to the doctor’s advice. But after recovery, Thoya was dilly-dallying, just jogging casually around the house, until he saw the scars the doctors was talking about on his wife’s legs.
Two weeks after we were discharged from hospital, my wife started developing scars. My wife was trying to get rid of the scars and got different creams but they would not disappear. That is when I realized the threat was real
When he went back to the hospital for review as required, the doctor gave him the ‘I-warned-you look’ and Thoya knew he had to act right. Immediately he finished the review with the doctor, he went straight to a shop and bought a size 29 Raleigh mountain bike
Riding lifestyle
Francis has a strong fondness for travel and nature. Idea came into his mind. “Why not spend the weekends in Kilifi county known for the mountainous terrain and extensive forest cover with rich flora and fauna?”
He started ridding 21Kms on MTB and within no time he had progressed to 40Kms. Currently, he rides for over 100Kms every weekend.
As his passion for cycling grew, Francis began venturing into road cycling in addition to gravel.
Today in his collection, Francis has a road bike – Giant propel which is considered among the few pocket-friendly aero dynamic bikes.
At 52, the career civil servant rides for fun and not to win competitions.
Riding lifestyle
Francis has a strong fondness for travel and nature. Idea came into his mind. “Why not spend the weekends in Kilifi county known for the mountainous terrain and extensive forest cover with rich flora and fauna?”
He started ridding 21Kms on MTB and within no time he had progressed to 40Kms. Currently, he rides for over 100Kms every weekend.
As his passion for cycling grew, Francis began venturing into road cycling in addition to gravel.
Today in his collection, Francis has a road bike – Giant propel which is considered among the few pocket-friendly aero dynamic bikes.
At 52, the career civil servant rides for fun and not to win competitions.
Riding lifestyle
Francis has a strong fondness for travel and nature. Idea came into his mind. “Why not spend the weekends in Kilifi county known for the mountainous terrain and extensive forest cover with rich flora and fauna?”
He started ridding 21Kms on MTB and within no time he had progressed to 40Kms. Currently, he rides for over 100Kms every weekend.
As his passion for cycling grew, Francis began venturing into road cycling in addition to gravel.
Today in his collection, Francis has a road bike – Giant propel which is considered among the few pocket-friendly aero dynamic bikes.
At 52, the career civil servant rides for fun and not to win competitions.
After a year, I was already at 70km every weekend. After some time, I started joining competitions. I joined the Mombasa Cycling Club, Currently, I’m riding a Giant Propel. They are agile, aerodynamic and quite fast. This is a bike that if you fall down you would probably break your collarbone. They can reach speeds of up to 50km/h depending on where you are riding. If you are going downhill, they can reach speeds of 70km/h
In a day of cycling, he burns an average of 3,602 calories. He has installed an app in his phone that shows the distance covered, the speed, the calories burned, the heart rate while riding, the time spent riding, among other crucial details. The data shows the rider whether they are improving on their cycling or not. “If you want to remain healthy or get rid of stress, cycling could be the best thing to pick.”
He noticed that he does not fall sick as often as he did before he started cycling. He has enrolled for several competitions but his main motivation is not to win but to enjoy himself while remaining healthy.
I ride for fun. I am 52 years old. I do not ride to win competitions. Age cannot allow,
