Behind the design: the story of the 2026 Tour de Lunsar jerseys

2026 Tour de Lunsar jerseys

Le Col has been making jerseys for the Tour de Lunsar since 2019. In that time the designs have always evolved, but we wanted to do something more radical in 2026. To that end, we handed over control to AFRICAP, another of the Sierra Leonean race’s sponsors.

Africap is a Sierra Leonean brand that takes traditional Ankara wax fabric and uses it to make cycling caps. The pieces are iconically classic cycle-style, but with something entirely fresh in the mix.

We spoke with the brand’s founder, Mohammad ‘Hammer’ Sesay, about the process of bringing these designs to life.

What inspired the design of this year’s Tour de Lunsar jerseys?

We wanted to create a link between our caps and the jerseys. Many of the patterns used in Ankara wax tell a story and we wanted to replicate this with the TDL jerseys. The genesis of this was when we added our Flowers motif (which you can see in our logo) to the youth jersey for the 2022 race. That jersey was really well-received, with fans, the riders and even got a feature in Hypebeast Africa.

Ever since then we’ve wanted to explore this idea with different patterns across various jerseys. Some of the jerseys feature patterns from our most popular caps (our Hirondellecap, for example, lends its swallow motif to this year’s orange jersey). Other designs bear motifs taken from Ankara that we haven’t used on our products yet, but felt would work well on a jersey.

What elements of Sierra Leonean culture influenced the design?

Like many west African countries, Sierra Leoneans embrace colour and vibrancy. This is reflected in how we dress and put items together. “We lek fo bluff” is a common Krio expression meaning ‘we like to show off’. So having a design that immediately captures the attention is very much Sierra Leonean.

For the general classification (yellow) we chose to incorporate the national colours of green, white and blue. Though we played with the colours preferring to go with pastel shades. Ankara can be worn in day to day but also ceremonially, therefore we’ve extended this practice to cycling as these jerseys all denote a prize in themselves.

How important is it that the jerseys are designed by a Sierra Leone-owned brand like Africap?

We would argue that it goes beyond importance. It’s a necessity. In many spaces, Sierra Leone is having its story told on behalf of but not by Sierra Leoneans. This product is an insight and a reminder of the ideas coming out of Sierra Leone. The fact that there is a Sierra Leonean brand so closely involved in the production of the winners’ jerseys shows that – even when things are done with external support – that does not come at the expense of compromising Sierra Leonean identity.

What message did you want the jerseys to represent for riders and fans?

The Tour de Lunsar is West Africa’s noisiest bike race. When people see the jerseys, we want them to know that they represent cycling, but Salone style. When you watch the TDL, you are going to see things you don’t typically expect. We believe these jerseys mirror that notion. But it’s not just symbolism, we pride ourselves on the way we dress, and we believe we’ve made the best jerseys of the year!

Which design detail are you most proud of?

There’s a lot to like in each jersey, but the standout feature for us is the Sierra Leone flag. Outside of the GC, there are no obvious nods to Salone. The flag maintains this across each design. We had to go with Salone because you’ll find it hard to find a Sierra Leonean who doesn’t call our country Salone. We also love the idiom on the left sleeve which means "finish what you start," a very fitting slogan for the race.

Which design detail are you most proud of?

There’s a lot to like in each jersey, but the standout feature for us is the Sierra Leone flag. Outside of the GC, there are no obvious nods to Salone. The flag maintains this across each design. We had to go with Salone because you’ll find it hard to find a Sierra Leonean who doesn’t call our country Salone. We also love the idiom on the left sleeve which means "finish what you start," a very fitting slogan for the race.

What does the leader’s jersey represent in the Tour de Lunsar?

The yellow, the blue jersey and the purple are awarded to the winners of their respective categories. Whoever wins these jerseys is a champion. Over it’s thirteen-year history the race has cemented itself as an annual fixture amongst the Lunsar community and across Sierra Leone. This is something that extends beyond cycling. Everyone comes out to support the race and when you become a champion that title stays with you long after the tournament ends. It effectively becomes like an epithet, with previous winners simply referred to as “Champion” in their day-to-day lives.

How do the jerseys reflect the identity of the race itself?

The orange jersey this year is a nice example of this. It’s being awarded to the most aggressive rider in each category. We named it the wasa, wasa jersey, which is a tribute to the late Winston Crowther, a former cycling president in Sierra Leone and a steadfast supporter of the Tour de Lunsar through the years. Winston would shout the words ‘wasa, wasa’ from the window of a team car, or at the start of a race, to motivate the riders

when is the race?

The Tour de Lunsar kicks off on the 18 & 19 April this year, with races for juniors, veterans, paracycling, espoirs, women’s and men’s categories all vying to take home a jersey.

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2026 Tour de Lunsar jerseys