African entries in ITT

Today, 2:47pmValens Ndayisenga (Rwa)

Today, 3:23pmMeron Teshome (Eri)

Today, 3:27:30pmSmit Willem Jakobus (SA)

RWANDA international cyclist Valens Ndayisenga will begin his quest at the ongoing UCI Road World Championships on Wednesday afternoon in the Elite Men’s Individual Time Trial (ITT) in Bergen, Norway, starting at 2:47pm (CAT).

The 2017 world’s biggest annual cycling event started on September 17 and will run through September 24.

The two-time Tour du Rwanda winner and reigning champion Ndayisenga is among only three African riders to be part of the competition’s ITT. The other two are; Meron Teshome of Eritrea and South Africa’s Smit Willem Jakobus.

Defending champion Tony Martin (Germany) returns, but will face strong competition on the hilly route from Tour de France and Vuelta a España winner Chris Froome (GB), Giro d’Italia winner Tom Dumoulin (Netherlands), Victor Campenaerts (Belgium), Stefan Küng (Switzerland), Rohan Dennis (Australia), Michal Kwiatkowski (Poland) and home favourite Edvald Boasson Hagen.

The men tackle two laps of a circuit around Bergen for a total route of 31km, including a finish on the 3.4km-long Mount Floyen climb. The riders are set off in six waves separated by half an hour, with one and a half minutes between each rider within those waves.

On Tuesday, Annemiek Van Vleuten of Netherlands claimed gold in the Elite Women’s ITT, followed by compatriot Anna Van Der Breggen. Britain’s Thomas Pidcock clinched the gold medal in Junior Men’s ITT category.

Rwanda’s four-rider roster was cut to three cyclists after youngster Jean Paul Rene Ukiniwabo, alongside physiotherapist Obedi Ruvogera, was denied Swedish entry visas.

The three riders in Norway include; Ndayisenga, Joseph Areruya and Samuel Mugisha, who ride for South Africa’s Team Dimension Data feeder team, based in Italy.

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