Rwanda’s leading three cyclists leave for South Africa to participate in this year’s Absa Cape Epic Mountain Bike race which is set for March 21-28 in Cape Town.

The cyclists including Abraham Ruhumuriza, Nyandwi Uwase and Jean de Dieu Rafiki leave Kigali International airport this morning (4.00 am) aboard Rwandair Express plane.

The trio also took part in last year’s edition but didn’t perform well as they could and will be hoping to make amends this time round.

The 2009 Absa Cape Epic starts with a prologue on the Slopes of world heritage site Table Mountain on Saturday, March 21 and finishes at Lourensford Estate in Somerset West, on Saturday, March 28.

A total of 1200 riders from 46 countries will ride a total of 685 km in eight days and climb 14 663m, which is the equivalent of riding twice up Mount Everest.

In 2006, the Absa Cape Epic became the first ever team mountain bike stage race at which UCI points were awarded.

The 2009 race is the first and only mountain bike stage race to be classified HC (hors categorie) by the UCI and is one of only 4 HC races on the 2008 UCI calendar.

HC is the highest classification awarded by the UCI and in road cycling this is reserved for the Grand Tours like the Tour de France.

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