Team Rwanda Cycling (TRC) in collaboration with the Rwanda Cycling Federation will hold a national training exercise for people interested in becoming cycling mechanics at the Africa Rising Centre in Musanze in January next year.

This initiative is aimed at boosting capacity across the country with beneficiaries expected to come from cycling dominated areas like Kigali, Rwamagana, Huye and Rubavu.

"Our team is growing bigger and we want to train many mechanics across the country to work with the different clubs.

We are targeting former riders who have good knowledge of cycling and this course will help them to become professionals eventually,” said Kimberly Coats, the director of logistics and marketing at TRC.

She added: "The course will have three levels (1, 2 and 3) after which we shall send them to the World Cycling Centre (WCC) in Aigle, Switzerland for an advanced course that will get them to speed with tailor-made courses for the mechanics of cycling.”

Former national team rider Jean de Dieu ‘Rafiki’ Uwimana is the only Rwandan mechanic with a diploma from the WCC which he attained a year ago after a two months course directed by master mechanic Alex Roussel.

The course consists of theory and practicals like bike building, wheel building, maintenance, servicing, position on the bike and familiarisation with the rules and regulations after which the trainees receive International Cycling Union (UCI) certification.

Rafiki was the third mechanic to benefit from the UCI programme that was introduced last year. Other mechanics have come from China, Ethiopia, Ireland, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Zealand and South Africa.

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