In spite of these conditions, 21-year old Florence Nakaggwa is out training in the outskirts of Masaka, a town 80 miles south-west of the Ugandan capital, Kampala.
She cycles between 30-60 miles (50-100km) each day, switching from tarmac to the red soil of village roads.
Earlier this year, Nakaggwa became Uganda’s first female rider to receive a professional cycling contract, signing with Team Amani, a racing collective fiercely pushing for inclusivity for riders across east Africa. Based in the Netherlands it has sister clubs in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda.
The team provides her with 900,000 Ugandan shillings (about £200) a month, equipment, clothing and representation at races around the globe.
Now, I’m not all that sure about what is really required for bicycle racing. In the physical sense that is. Yes, obviously, some ghastly level of fitness and willingness to train and all that. And I’d guess the equipment and at least a modicum of decent roads etc.
I could be persuaded though into believing that what is required for cycling is not that far away from that required for long distance running – lungs and hearts. Which would make those upland areas of East Africa a natural recruiting area.
So, anyone who knows more about this than me want to weigh in? Are we going to see cycling teams scouring as the football lot have been doing these past few decades?