Rwanda Cycling Cup champion Patrick Byukusenge says he wants to become the first rider to win the competition twice since its inception in 2015.

The 26-year old Benediction Club Cyclist said this in an interview on Friday.

After finishing 17th at the Tour of Senegal last month, Byukusenge immediately turned focus to the Farmers’ Circuit, slated for May 19; in Kayonza district.

Byukusenge said his performance in "Tour du Senegal was a fine experience. It gave me and my teammates the exposure to race under strong winds, flat and humid conditions that we were not used to.”

When asked what he is doing to do to ensure he successfully defends the Rwanda Cycling Cup title, Byukusenge replied, "Much as I want to become the first cyclist to retain the title, there is no particular strategy. I simply have to keep training hard than my opponents and putting teamwork at the core.”

At 26, the Rubavu born rider had his best cycling season last year when he was crowned winner of the 2017 Rwanda Cycling Cup Champion. Gasore Hategeka won the 2016 edition while Jean Bosco Nsengimana clinched the inaugural edition in 2015.

The soft spoken Byukusenge was one of  only two riders to win more than one race in last year’s Rwanda Cycling Cup, the second being youngster Samuel Mugisha. Both riders won two races each.

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