Bicycles
are a common means of transport in rural areas. But out of this common
practice, cycling as sport was born and it has quickly become one of the
most popular sports in the country.
The
launch of the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC) in March, a
three-acre compound in Musanze with 18 buildings became the home of Team
Rwanda accommodating riders for training camps, staff and volunteers.
Notably,
Team Rwanda got a spacious home where they can train without any
destruction, where the riders not only perfect their cycling but also
learn English in a comfortable environment.
With
a state-of-the-art garage, expert mechanics like American Jamie Bissell
and Jean de Dieu ‘Rafiki’ Uwimana have been an integral part of Team
Rwanda’s success in 2014. The previous space limited development,
hosting and training other international teams. On top of fulfilling all
the aforementioned, ARCC has laid the foundation of a sustainable
financial support system through bicycle tourism. Tourists can now hire
bikes at an affordable fee of $75 with a guide.
In
May, Rwanda was represented by two girls and four boys at the African
Youth Games in Gaborone, Botswana and consequently, the girls competed
at the second edition of the Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China
becoming the first Rwandans to compete at the biggest international
youth multi-sport event.
Last
year’s best young rider Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Stage 2 winner Valens
Ndayisenga at the Tour du Rwanda were invited to train at the World
Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland.
Bonaventure
Uwizeyimana, the first Rwandan to win a stage at the gruesome La
Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon in January, was racing in France for
Vendee U, the feeder team for Europcar. For the second time, Rwanda was
represented at the quadrennial Commonwealth Games and in Glasgow,
Scotland in August, Rwanda sent four riders including Adrien Niyonshuti,
Janvier Hadi, Ndayisenga, Uwizeyimana, Gasore Hategeka and Nsengimana.
Hadi finished 19th while Ndayisenga was 23rd in the individual time
trial. For the first time in the history of Rwandan cycling, three
Rwandan riders qualified for the UCI U-23 World Championships in
Ponferrada, Spain.
Ndayisenga,
Nsengimana and Uwizeyimana who had been in Europe for several months,
competed at this prestigious event carrying the Rwandan flag high.
In
September, Janvier Hadi was invited as a guest rider for Garneau
Quebecor at the Tour of Alberta and won the Most Aggressive Rider on
Stage 4, while working in a breakaway for the majority of the stage. In
terms of sponsorship, Team Rwanda signed a sponsorship deal with Turkish
Airlines as the official carrier of Team Rwanda. Voted Europe’s best
airline, Turkish Airlines offered a 40% discount on air travel and free
baggage for the team’s luggage which reduces a remarkable load off their
budget.
Team
Rwanda spends a huge amount of money on travel and training camps are
the biggest expenses for the team so this partnership came in handy and
this will be very important this year as the riders will be eyeing
participation in several elite competitions in Africa and overseas. To
cap a successful year, the Tour du Rwanda left behind memories that will
forever be celebrated by the entire country and well wishers of Rwandan
cycling across the world.
Last
year’s event was the sixth edition of the 2.2 UCI sanctioned event and
just like in 2013, Hadi won the prologue and Ndayisenga won Stage 2,
from his hometown Rwamagana to Team Rwanda’s hometown Musanze.
Joseph
Biziyaremye, the first Rwandan to win a stage of the Tour du Rwanda
back in 2011, won Stage 6 and Nsengimana finished second in the General
Classification. For the first time since the Tour du Rwanda made its
inception on the UCI Africa calendar, a Rwandan had the yellow jersey
throughout the eight-day grueling competition that attracted 14
countries including Belgium, Burundi, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Germany,
Morocco, South Africa and three Rwandan sides – Karisimbi, Muhabura and
Akagera.
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