With just 10 days left for the 2017 African Continental Road Championships to kick off, Team Rwanda head coach Sterling Magnell has said local riders are in the right frame of mind, both mentally and physically.

The seven-member team (six male and one female) is currently training at the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC) in Musanze District, Northern Province.

This year’s continental championships will be held in Luxor, Egypt from February 14-19. The annual event attracts male and female riders from across the continent.

The men’s category has three sub-categories namely; Juniors (U18), Under 23 and Men-elite, who compete in Road Race, Individual Time Trial (ITT) and Team Time Trial (TTT).

On the other hand, the women category comprises of two sub-categories, namely; Juniors and Women-elite – also competing in Road Race, Individual Time Trial (ITT) and Team Time Trial (TTT).

Team Rwanda started preparations in early December, under the guidance of American trainer Magnell as the team bid to surpass last year’s performance when they scooped three medals from the competition, which was Rwanda’s best performance thus far.

Unlike last year when Rwanda fielded a team of 11 riders, the country will have fewer representatives at this year’s edition after several riders failed to make the cut, including Jean Claude Uwizeye, who scooped a silver medal in the U23 category last year, failed to make the cut.

However, with the experience of not only competing in the Tour du Rwanda and several international UCI competitions, Team Rwanda looks odds on to surpass last year’s milestone, according to Magnell.

Among the seven riders to represent the country include; Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka’s new signings Samuel Mugisha and Joseph Areruya, who left the country last week to join their new side in a training camp in Cape Town, South Africa, and will link up with Team Rwanda in Luxor.

The other four male riders include; the reigning Tour du Rwanda champion Valens Ndayisenga, who is set to join Austria Team Tirol Cycling; Jean Bosco Nsengimana; Bonaventure Uwizeyimana; and Rene Ukiniwabo.

Rwanda’s most decorated female rider Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu will again represent the country in the women’s category.

Speaking to Saturday Sport in an exclusive interview, Magnell said that his riders are in an upbeat mood and determined to replicate or even better last year’s showing in Casablanca, Morocco.

"The mood in camp is absolutely good and morale among the riders is high. We are focused on avoiding overdoing anything, which may lead to injuries,” said Magnell.

The American trainer further noted: "We have done everything that needs to be done in training, now we’re just fine-tuning the small details like flexibility and mental preparation.”

According to the event schedule, the Elite-Men and U23 road races will start on February 19 spanning a distance of 163.6 kilometres.

The Team Time Trial (TTT) is slated for February 14 and will cover a distance of 57.8 Kilometres. In this category, Rwanda will be represented by Ndayisenga, Nsengimana, Areruya and Mugisha.

Ndayisenga and Areruya will compete in the Individual Time Trial category, while Girubuntu will contest in the Women Elite Road Race and Individual Time Trial.

She will be in action on February 16 for the TT that will cover 25.8 kilometres before competing in the road race scheduled for February 18, covering a distance of 99.6 kilometres.

Rwanda made history at last year’s edition held from February 21-26 in Casablanca, Morocco.

At the time, Team Rwanda returned home with three medals, including; one gold and two silvers from the time trial and road race events.

Girubuntu claimed silver in the women individual time trial, becoming the first Rwandan woman to win a medal at that level.

This was before Ndayisenga improved on his bronze-medal performance in 2015 to win the gold medal in the U-23 individual trial. This was Rwanda’s first gold medal in the competition.

In the most grueling and last race of the competition, the 180-kilometre men’s elite road race, Rwanda collected another silver medal.

Uwizeye finished two seconds behind Team Dimension Data’s Gebreigzabhier Amanuel to earn the silver medal in the Men’s U-23 race.

In this category, another podium finish looked on the cards for Areruya, the 2016 Tour du Rwanda first runners-up, who however only went on to finish two seconds behind Algeria’s Saidi Nassim, and had to settle for fourth spot.

In the men’s elite road race, reigning African champion Tesfom Okubamariam, from Eritrea, won the gold medal with Algeria’s Youcef Reguigui clinching silver, while another Eritrean, Mekseb Debesay, took the bronze medal.

In the Time Trial category, Morocco’s Mouhssine Lahsaini is the defending champion while Ethiopia’s Tsgabu Grmay took silver with 2010 Tour du Rwanda champion, Daniel Teklehaymanot, from Eritrea settling for bronze.

Eritrea are the defending champions in the Team Time Trial. Algeria won silver while hosts Morocco claimed the bronze medal.

In the women category, Vera Adrian from Namibia is the defending champion in the elite road race, while South Africa’s An-Li Kachelhoffer and Mauritania’s Kimberley Le Court took silver and bronze, respectively.

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