Victor Cudjoe Akpabli rode into the record books at the Osagyefo Criterium on Monday, out-sprinting a chasing pack of the country’s strongest riders to take the Elite Men’s title on the University Farm Road circuit at Borteyman, Accra.
Akpabli completed the 113-kilometre, ten-lap contest in 3:02:39.00, crossing the line more than two minutes clear of the peloton behind him at an average race speed of 37.120 km/h.
Emmanuel Sesi finished second place in 3:04:57.27, just 2:18 behind the winner. Frank Akuffo completed the podium in third, finishing a fraction of a second further back in 3:04:57.75.
All twenty riders who started the race reached the finish, in a result officials described as a full field completion for the Elite Men’s category.
Speaking after the race, Akpabli struck a tone of quiet confidence rather than celebration, framing the victory as validation of months of preparation by the national squad rather than a surprise.
We planned and we were prepared for this event. Even if they had come, we would have been able to compete.” Victor Cudjoe Akpabli, Elite Men’s Champion
That preparation, he explained, was shaped directly by a painful lesson learned earlier in the season at the PRURide Cycling Competition, where a touring Burkina Faso team swept both the men’s and women’s titles.
Akpabli did not shy away from crediting the West African rivals for exposing gaps in Ghana’s own competitive readiness.
Cycling, for me what I observed is that they have experience. They have been to so many competitions before coming to Ghana to compete with us,” he said of the Burkinabe riders. “The experience, the enthusiasm, and the strength they have is what gave them the upper hand over us. And they teamed up.”
He added that Ghana’s riders had been caught partly unaware, and that a lack of sufficient competitive exposure at home left the squad unable to properly challenge the visitors on the day.
It was that defeat, he said, that hardened his resolve heading into the Osagyefo Criterium. “The previous experience is what made me competent, and I was able to come out on top,” Akpabli reflected, before adding with characteristic modesty that he would rather let the result speak for itself than dwell further on the achievement.
Beyond the finish line, Akpabli used the platform to press a case he has clearly made before: that Ghana cycling’s ceiling is being capped not by talent, but by resources. As national team captain, he said his ambition extends well past domestic podiums.
My vision is that Ghana produces one or two professional cyclists who compete outside the country. I believe in Ghanaian cycling, I’m hoping to be selected for those international events where Ghana has struggled to be at the top.” Victor Cudjoe Akpabli
He was direct about the obstacles standing in the way. While local events benefit from sponsorship, he said, that support rarely extends to backing individual riders or squads for competition abroad.
The challenge we have is that we buy our own equipment, our own logistics everything ourselves,” Akpabli explained. “If government or corporate organisations came in to push the cyclists forward, it would help push us to the top.”
Off the circuit, Akpabli serves as a corporal with the Ghana Police Service, balancing competitive cycling with his police duties.
He described the sport as far more than a professional assignment. “Besides being my job, cycling is also my hobby,” he said. “It’s the health benefits I’ve gained from cycling that have helped me get to where I am today, and I love to maintain that.”
Osagyefo Criterium 2026 Elite Men
Date: 21 September 2026
Venue: University Farm Road, Borteyman, Accra
Distance: 113 km (10 laps)
Average Speed: 37.120 km/h
Starters / Finishers: 20 / 20
Podium And Prizes
1 Akpabli Victor Cudjoe
Police Cycling Team GH10,000
2 Emmanuel Sesi GH6,000
3 Frank Akuffo GH3,000