THE RWANDAN Cycling Federation will inaugurate the ‘Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy’ on May 26th, Times Sport has learnt.

Named after the country’s best rider, the academy will train upcoming riders, both men and women. 

The academy will also target riders aged 16 to 18 (Junior category). The training centre will be open in the evenings, the weekends and during the school holidays. In the first year, 15 boys and 8 girls will train at the centre located in Eastern Province town of Rwamagana.

The trainees will study at one of the city’s excellent institutions and, at the same time, will benefit from a comprehensive cycling apprenticeship at the academy: training, nutrition, tactics (from watching videos) and mechanics. At the end of their training, they will be able to focus on a professional career in cycling and sport, or join Rwanda’s national team. 

"In order to obtain future champions, it is necessary to provide riders with quality support from a young age,”explains Aimable Bayingana, President of the Rwanda Cycling Federation. "The academy will nurture these young talents in a region of the country that encourages cycling, but it will of course train athletes from all over Rwanda.” 

UCI President Pat McQuaid said that the International Cycling Union will support the initiative which is directed at the grassroots. "We hope that the most talented of the trainees at the Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy will be able to come to the World Cycling Centre in Switzerland or its satellite in South Africa to perfect their training.”

"Rwanda is an example to be followed in cycling because it is building its future in the wider sense and places a great deal of importance on cycling both from a social and sporting point of view,” added McQuaid.

More than 200 bikes to be distributed 

The man behind the academy, Adrien Niyonshuti, aged 27, has put a great deal into the project. Rwanda’s flag-bearer at the London Olympic Games, the professional with UCI Professional Continental (second division) Team MTN-Qhubeka presented by Samsung is the country’s best-known sportsman. 

He is a symbolic representative of the generation that endured the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, but he managed to come out of this trauma to achieve a certain level of sporting success. 

The athlete, out of road competition since February due to thrombosis, has devoted the last few weeks to his academy projects. 

"Before retiring, I want to make use of my notoriety to develop this academy,” he said. 

"The people of Rwanda need to understand that cycling can sometimes be a means of buying a house and a car. Today, I lead a good life thanks to this sport and I would like to see other youngsters able to follow suit.” 

The Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy, which is still looking for sponsors, has the support of the association of World Bicycle Relief. More than Qhubeka 200 bikes are due to be distributed to youngsters from 10 years old so that they can get to school more easily. 

These bikes will simplify their day-to-day life as well as facilitate the search for new candidates for the academy. 

The national coach Jock Boyer and the association project Rwanda will provide logistical support. The former American professional has already helped raise funds with a mountain bike event, the "50 Mile Ride for Project Rwanda” organised on April 27th at Foothill Ranch, California. 

"It was Jock who introduced me to high level cycling in 2007,” says Niyonshuti. "He formed the national team, and cycling progressed considerably in Rwanda.”

"Today, through the academy, I would like to help the National Federation develop our sport. It’s a way for me to give something back to cycling.” added Niyonshuti.