Introducing: Iman Achieng’ Kagumba

Welcome to CCC Introduces, our series spotlighting our amazing community of contributors.

Today, we are welcoming Iman, an avid mountain biker, integrative nurse, and social scientist whose adventures span racing, bikepacking, and deep community connection across Kenya and Tanzania. From navigating health challenges and redefining ambition to dreaming of a more mindful world connected by two wheels, Iman brings heart, honesty, and global perspective to Cycling Culture Club.

From: Mombasa, Kenya

Lives: Dar-es-salaam, Tanzania 

Instagram: ParalleRealitiesEA

YouTube: Imanqueeen

Club/team: Pump for Peace

Tell us about yourself

I am an avid mountain biker, integrative nurse, and social scientist from Mombasa. I used to dream about being in the World Cups and Cape Epics as a pro rider representing my community from Mombasa, but then I did not account for my aging, ha, so now I am in a limbo of whether this dream is still valid.

Over my eight years of juggling cycling, life, school, and so much parallel adventure, I lost my why. But in the spirit of keeping on, I raced many local races in Kenya during these eight years and eventually took a more medical and social approach toward my cycling.

As I did my bachelor’s, I simultaneously taught myself sports therapy, integrative nursing, muscle therapy, and so many other short courses to see how best I can give back to my cycling community and society at large. I have spent the last two years redefining this path.

My dreams are now bigger than myself and my want for racing the XC World Cups. I have slowly been using my time to learn about societies and trending issues, from AI to muscle imbalances, moving into a different country (Tanzania) just so I can challenge my growth and world view in an environment not so far from home that I could also afford, seeing how weird the world is now with the monopolies and abused capitalism.

My adventures span from racing to random bikepacking trips all around Kenya and now Tanzania, where I immerse myself into the cultures and the ways of life of all the people I meet, who are amazing people.

I now dream of a present, mindful, loving world connecting communities through cycling and two-wheeled adventures.

What do you love about cycling

I love everything about cycling. Good and bad. I love the feeling of the sun on my face when the wind simultaneously blows my way. I love the crackling of my gears when I can’t seem to shift them in time on a hill. I love the adrenaline every time I have to rush during traffic hours. I love how overstimulated I get during off-road downhills, expecting everything and anything to happen. I love how alert I get when I have to focus on multiple things at once…the list is endless.

There is nothing I know that I hate about cycling—oh, except the fact that it’s so darn expensive and I want all the bikes in the world, hahaha! But I also love that too, to be honest— the saving up for a big purchase just to go soak it in mud, ahahah! Love it!

What barriers have you faced in cycling

Enough to write a novel. Mental barriers during race training, weight issues, poor eating habits that led to more serious stomach damage, assault of many kinds, gatekeeping, catcalling, judgment (as a Muslim woman) — oh, this list is endless. When I get into it, I might just never get out of it.

My biggest barrier, however, has been my health. Finding a clear balance in my feeding when I am cycling has proven very hard. Because of this, I have suffered enormous gastric issues, stomach pains, and bacterial infections that, even years later, I am still trying to heal.

All of this from eating out during my adventures and lacking proper meal structures.

I am even now healing from the notorious H. pylori, which has completely derailed my wellness since 2021 — from lacking motivation, very extreme mood swings brought by losing appetite, then losing strength, leading to poor execution of my daily life and very poor recovery even from slight exercises. It has been an endless roller coaster that has rendered me misunderstood, seen as a failure during my racing years by my peers, my coaches, and all. However, I am now confident that the awareness I wield will help me through this rough patch of my life. Hopefully, 2026 sees a healthy Iman.

Why were you interested in contributing?

Because I love cycling! I am contributing because of my love for cycling and connecting with global communities, sharing stories and adventures. Connecting with global communities online is exactly how I met my best bugger, Isla Short, millions of centimetres away through the Red Bull app, watching her shred Leogang five years ago — and now we are inseparable!

Your fondest memory on the bike

I have two:

My first day bonking- I got a total blackout at the top of my favourite hill that my coach and I named “the Serpent” due to its short and sweet, meandering nature. It also packs some very punchy uphills and long 2–3 minute climbs, which make for nice downhills.

One of my other favourite memories was when I first met one of my bestest friends, Isla Short, who I also took to the Serpent— but on a bike without nice, world-class brakes, opposite of what she is used to racing the World Cups— and she was screaming as we went down the steep downhills, hahaha!

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Do you want to explore more inspirational stories? Check out all of our contributor bios here