What does it look like when the spirit of Face of America travels 8,000 miles and crosses five countries? It looks like Bidii Yetu.
Matthew Gamser first joined the Face of America ride in 2022, where adaptive and able-bodied athletes ride side by side 110 miles from Arlington, VA to Gettysburg, PA. Matthew is now helping to carry the spirit of FOA well beyond U.S. borders all the way to Botswana.
Bidii Yetu is a U.S. 501(c)(3) organization Matthew helped build to bring inclusive cycling to Africa. In 2023, it achieved milestones.
A team of five cyclists rode from the Atlantic Ocean in Namibia to the Indian Ocean in Mozambique—the first-ever adaptive cycling expedition across five African countries. Two of the five riders were paraplegic and completed every kilometer on hand cycles. Cycling clubs and disabled persons associations from each country joined portions of the route, putting the resilience and capability of people with disabilities on full display for thousands of onlookers.
That response was inspiring. Now Bidii Yetu is channeling that energy into something lasting: supporting African organizations in launching their own major inclusive cycling events.
The first partner is the Botswana Council for the Disabled, whose paracyclists joined the 750-kilometer trek through their country during the 2023 expedition. Building on that momentum, Bidii Yetu Botswana 2026 will be a 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) ride from the capital Gaborone north to the Zambian border, running October 24 – November 7, 2026. The journey ends in Botswana’s prime safari country—with a safari experience waiting at the finish line.
If you are interested in learning more about this organization, visit botswana.bidiiyetu-nolimits.org or reach out to Matthew directly.
