Rwanda international and Skol-Fly Cycling Club rider Moise Mugisha has secured a contract with French side Pays Olonne Cycliste Côte de Lumière (POCCL), Sunday Sport has learnt.
The 21-year old prodigy joins his new club next week on Wednesday.
It is reported that once he reaches Marseille at the club base, he will be offered a renewable one-year deal and become only the third Rwandan to ever feature for the club.
Two-time Tour du Rwanda champion Valens Ndayisenga and Jean Claude Uwizeye featured for the Marseille side last year, but the club only retained Uwizeye this year; leaving Ndayisenga without a club abroad, and has since been doing individual training.
In an interview with this publication on Friday, Mugisha could not hide his excitement and he said that rising to professional ranks with POCCL is a dream-come-true.
"It really means a lot to ride as a professional; it is something I have always wanted since joining the sport as a rookie. This opportunity is down to hard work, but I would say that the real work begins now,” said Mugisha who won two medals at this year’s African championships in Ethiopia.
Mugisha, who featured for Team Rwanda at this year’s Tour du Rwanda, was sensational in most of the stages and took home the jersey for most combative cyclist of the 2.1 UCI Africa Tour race.
Pays Olonne Cycliste Côte de Lumière is affiliated to French Federation of Cycling (FFC) since 1992.
Breakthrough
Mugisha tasted the limelight last October when he put up a stunning performance to dominate Karongi Challenge, one the eleven races that comprised the 2018 Rwanda Cycling Cup.
He won the 116km race in 3 hours, 17 minutes and 47 seconds.
The following month, Mugisha was part of Team Rwanda that competed at the inaugural Africa Nations Cup in Eritrea where he claimed bronze the men’s U23 Individual Time Trial.
In February this year, the young cyclist was Team Rwanda’s best performer at the 2019 Tour de l’Espoir in Cameroun where he displayed a solo effort to take the final (fifth) stage in spectacular fashion.
During his Tour du Rwanda debut last November, Mugisha finished 10th in general classification.
editor@newtimesrwanda.com