Team Rwanda cyclist Bonaventure Uwizeyimana is steadily recovering from a head injury that he suffered last Tuesday when he knocked a pedestrian on the Gitarama-Musanze road.

The 22-year-old was descending downhill alongside his teammates during a training session when the pedestrian attempted to cross the road, hesitated and went back to the roadside before deciding to cross the road just as Uwizeyimana was approaching and the latter hit him and fell off the bike, head first on the ground.

According to Team Rwanda head of marketing and logistics, Kimberly Coats, Uwizeyimana’s helmet saved his life. She wrote on her blog that, "His Louis Garneau helmet saved his head, but the helmet was crushed.”

Uwizeyimana was rushed to a nearby clinic before he was transferred to Musanze hospital where his arm was stitched and an X-ray taken. He was taken to the Africa Rising Cycling Centre where the team resides to rest.

But on Wednesday morning he was transferred to King Faisal hospital in Kigali for a CT scan which was released on Monday afternoon showing no bleeding in his brain, no skull fracture and no spinal damage.

However, the MRI confirmed cerebal venous sinus thrombosis - blood clot in his brain. He is currently on anticoagulants and under close observation by the doctor.

Uwizeyimana is a full-time rider with Team Rwanda Cycling and makes up the core of the national side.

Last year, he became the first African to win a stage at the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon, arguably the biggest cycling event on the African continent.

This year he was the best U-23 rider beating riders from Europe and the entire African continent.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw