Rwanda international female cyclist Jeanne D’Arc Girubuntu left the country for Switzerland last night aboard Brussels Airlines, where she will be based for the next three months.

Girubuntu, 20, returns at the International Union of Cycling (UCI) high performance facility located in the Swiss city of Aigle for a second spell in just 10 months. The vastly talented Girubuntu became the first Rwandan female and 1000th trainee of the training center last May.

The two-time reigning national champion Girubuntu was invited for another three-month scholarship at the Aigle UCI Center last month, after displaying an impressive performance at the African Continental Road Championship in Morocco to win silver medal in the women’s Individual Time Trial, ITT.

During the three months of training in Switzerland, the country’s leading female rider Girubuntu will be trained by world class coaches, she will also participate in different races in Europe for personal and professional development in cycling career.

In a recent interview with Times Sport, Girubuntu said, "I am thrilled by the opportunity, a second stint at the UCI centre in less than 12 months. Surely it will benefit me a lot as I envision professional cycling in future, this is a very good chance towards achieving my career goals.

From the UCI Centre last September, Girubuntu represented the country at the 11th All Africa Games in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo where she missed the bronze medal spot by microseconds in ITT. Later that month, she wrote history by becoming the first female black African to compete in ITT in UCI World Road Championship in Richmond, Virginia, United States.

Inspirational Girubuntu has already been linked to professional cycling teams from US and France, according to Jonathan Boyer, Team Rwanda Cycling technical director.

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