LOOP Safari Gravel Series Plants 10,000 Trees in Three Seasons

Nelly Wainaina (right), NCBA Group Director of Marketing, Communication and Citizenship, with foresters during a tree-planting exercise at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki on October 17, 2026.

The LOOP Safari Gravel Series has planted 10,000 trees since its inception in 2024, strengthening efforts to integrate environmental conservation into sporting activities and sustainable tourism.

The milestone follows the planting of 4,000 trees across four stops during the 2026 season, which concluded at Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy in Nanyuki on Saturday, October 17.

During the finale, LOOP DFS planted 100 indigenous trees at the conservancy as part of efforts to promote environmental conservation in areas hosting the cycling series.

The 2026 circuit covered Limuru in March, Naivasha in June, Vipingo in August and Nanyuki in October, attracting cyclists, spectators and local communities while promoting tree growing alongside gravel cycling.

Jordan Schleck and Mary Aleper emerged as winners of the final race in Nanyuki, marking the conclusion of the four-stop season.

NCBA Group Director of Marketing, Communication and Citizenship Nelly Wainaina said the initiative demonstrates how sporting activities can contribute to environmental conservation beyond competition.

“Sport has the power to bring people together around a shared purpose and create a positive impact that extends beyond the finish line,” she said.

Wainaina said the series was designed to combine cycling and adventure with responsibility for protecting the natural environments that make the experience possible.

“Reaching 10,000 trees since 2024 is an important milestone and a testament to what we can achieve when sport and sustainability come together,” she said.

She added that continued conservation efforts would help create a lasting positive impact on host communities and the destinations visited by the series.

Gravel cycling involves riding on unpaved roads and off-road terrain, bringing participants closer to natural landscapes and providing opportunities to promote responsible interaction with the environment.

Through the series, LOOP DFS encourages cyclists to support conservation and tree-growing initiatives in the areas they explore, linking sporting tourism with environmental stewardship.

The initiative also supports NCBA Group’s broader sustainability agenda, which targets the growing of 10 million trees by 2030.

By incorporating tree planting into its annual calendar, the series seeks to demonstrate how sporting events can contribute to conservation while fostering connections between communities, nature and tourism.

The 10,000-tree milestone reflects the cumulative planting efforts undertaken across the series’ three seasons since 2024, with the latest season contributing 4,000 trees to the initiative.

The organisers say the continued integration of environmental activities into the cycling series is intended to strengthen its conservation legacy in the destinations that host the races.