Rwanda’s continental cycling team Java-InovoTec on Saturday, October 19, announced that their star rider Joseph Areruya is retiring from professional cycling.
The 28-year-old participated at Kirehe Race which concluded in Eastern Province on Sunday and the team said that it would be his last.
Areruya is arguably one of the most successful cyclists in Rwanda. He won Tour du Rwanda in 2017 before winning two top continental prizes the following year during which he won La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2018 and Tour de l’Espoir 2018.
The two victories were enough for him to be named African cyclist of the year 2018.
Areruya told Times Sport that he has a lot of happy memories in his cycling career especially when he conquered Africa during his prime time.
The acclaimed cyclist insists he is retiring from professional cycling because it time to do so and not because he is running out of energy.
"I loved and enjoyed my playing profession. Every time I did it, I felt like I was born to do that job. Even now, I am retiring not because I am tired but because it’s time to retire,” he said in an interview.
Areruya agrees that Rwanda has always been home of top riders and he believes the country still has young talents can take the mantle and raise Rwandan flag high like he did during his best days.
He challenged the new generation of the sport to dream bigger as they show the potential to achieve more than what he did.
"Those who are already in the profession, keep the courage and momentum, great are your rewards and the difference you are making in society.”
His heir?
Areruya is one of the riders who started with the Java-InovoTec Team in January 2023. As soon as he retires, the club plans to keep him and give him a new role when his contract expires in December.
Areruya is part of Rwanda’s golden generation in cycling, joining the club of the likes of Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Valens Ndayisenga among other Rwandan riders who dominate Tour du Rwanda before it was sanctioned from 2.2 to 2.1 in 2019.
It was during his prime time when the International Cycling Union (UCI) ranked Rwanda third in Africa, only behind Eritrea and South Africa. The country has now dropped drastically and moved below the top 10 while no Rwandan finds himself in at least the top 20.
Areruya admits that efforts are need to put Rwandan cycling where it should belong, tasking the local cycling administration increase competitions for riders, locally and internationally, to not only improve their level of performance but to also ensure their talent exposure to the global scene.
"We need to improve cycling from the youth to the top,” he said.
He said that Rwanda has very many talented riders who have potential to reach the top of the sport.
"I won’t mention the names, but there are riders I think, if protected, can be top athletes in the future,” the former Les Amies Sportif de Rwamagana rider said.
Areruya is nowlooking forward to embarking on a coaching career after he officially retires from the cycling in November.
Any regrets?
Areruya has won it all at his level. His only regret is that he was unable to compete in the Olympic Games.
His journey
Areruya is one of the best cyclists that Rwanda has ever produced.
It was in 2011, at just 15, that he took his first shot to cycling stardom with a heavy bicycle enrolling with Les Amis Sportif Cycling club to participate in local and national cycling event. However, he didn’t succeed to raise his name among big cycling names like Nathan Byukusenge, Abraham Ruhumuriza and Valens Ndayisenga.
Les Amis Sportifs academy prepared him for the best. With his heavy bicycle, he was listed by the local cycling governing body (Ferwacy) among junior cyclists in 2012 and he participated in the Huye-Kigali race in which he clocked in second place.
This was just the beginning of his rise. In 2013, for the first time, Areruya got a special professional sport bicycle made for the cycling game and, in 2014, he was scouted for professional cycling by then Team Rwanda trainer Jonathan Boyer who enlisted him for the continental mountain bike event in which he scooped third place, coming home with Bronze medal.
In 2017, Areruya became a signature name after winning the Tour du Rwanda 2017 staging an impressive performance in the eight-day event challenging African cyclist including the trophy holder Jean Bosco Nsengimana.
His most memorable year was in 2018 when he won La Tropicale Amissa Bongo and Tour de l’Espoir. He was also named African cyclist of the year in 2018.
He became the first cyclist from Rwanda to ride in the Paris–Roubaix road race, when he took part in the 2019 edition.