Apart from Team Rwanda’s Valens Ndayisenga (2014) and this year’s winner Jean Bosco Nsengimana, the previous five winners of Tour du Rwanda have gone on to join professional teams.

Tour du Rwanda is a cycling event organised by the Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY). It became part of the UCI Africa Tour in category 2.2 in 2009. It takes place in the form of a stage race.

Adil Jelloul

Moroccan rider, Adil Jelloul won the inaugural event with a comfortable lead.

Adil Jelloul was born 14 July 1982 in Ifrane. He is a Moroccan road bicycle racer. He competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Men’s road race in London. He rides for Skydive Dubai Pro Cycling Team - Al Ahli Club (CT). Before, he was just riding for his country.

Daniel Teklehaimanot

In 2010, the Tour was won by Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot and is a professional road racing cyclist from Eritrea. He competes for South Africa-based Team Dimension Data (formerly MTN-Qhubeka).

Before winning Tour du Rwanda, he was riding for Amore & Vita-McDonald’s (stagiaire) and later in 2010, he joined Cervélo TestTeam before riding Green EDGE.

He also won the Kwita Izina Cycling Tour. He participated in the 2012 Summer Olympics being the first Eritrean competing in a sport other than athletics; he finished the road race in the 73rd position.

In 2012, he became the first Eritrean to ride in La Vuelta, one of the 3 Grand Tours; he finished the race 146th overall.

He was named in the start list for the 2015 Tour de France alongside team-mate and compatriot Merhawi Kudus, becoming the first black African to start the Tour when he was the first of the 198 riders to start the race’s opening time trial.

Kiel Reijnen

In 2011, Amarican Kiel Reijnen, won Tour du Rwanda. Reijnen was born on June 1, 1986 in Bainbridge Island, Washington. He is an American cyclist riding for Continental team United Health care.

While competing as an amateur, he attended the University of Colorado Boulder and obtained a degree in mechanical engineering.

Darren Lill

Darren Lill, who was riding for Team Bonitas, won the 2012 Tour du Rwanda. Before joining Team Bonitas in 2012, he was riding for Fly V Australia Pro Cycling Team in 2010.

A year earlier, he was riding for Team Type 1. In 2008, the South African was with raced for BMC Racing Team while in 2007, he was in Navigators Insurance Cycling Team (PCT), which he joined from Barloworld where he was from 2005.

Dylan Girdlestone

In 2013, the race was claimed by Dylan Girdlestone, who was born October 11, 1989. Girdlestone is a South African professional racing cyclist — he won the Tour du Rwanda riding for South Africa National Team.

After winning Tour du Rwanda, he joined Drapac Pro Cycling, and one year later, he joined Team Garmin Sharp.

Before he won Tour du Rwanda, Girdlestone was riding for Team MTN Qhubeka (CT) in 2011 where he came from MTN Energade Road Team.

Valens Ndayisenga

Adrien Niyonshuti, who rides for Team Dimension Data, is the only Rwandan professional cyclist. Last year’s winner, Ndayisenga and reigning champion Nsengimana are still riding for local teams, although it is just a matter of time before one of them or both are snapped by professional teams.

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