The eighth edition of Tour de Rwanda, the country’s most prestigious cycling event gets underway today starting from Amahoro national stadium and ends on August 24 at the same venue. The nine-day competition that will cover 1000km has attracted participants from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi and the hosts Rwanda. Rwanda will be represented by two teams of six riders; Team Rwanda that comprises Nyandwi Uwase, Adrien Niyoshuti, Abraham Ruhumuriza, Obed Ruvogera, Jean de Dieu Rafiiki and Nathan Byukusenge whereas the other team regarded as team B comprises mostly the junior cyclists; Godfrey Gahemba, Innocent Sibomana, Nicodem Habiyambere, Daniel Ngendahayo, Jean Claude Nsegiyumva, and Jean de Dieu Nkurunziza. On day one, competitors will ride from Kigali to Cyanika and from Cyanika to Kigali on the second day. On the third day, it will be Kigali to Karongi and Karongi to Huye on day four then Huye to Kigali on the day five. Day six will be a rest day for the riders, then on day seven competitors will traverse Bugesera to Nemba and on day eight it will be Kigali to Nyagatare then back to Kigali on the final day. This year’s event will cost an estimated Frw30 million with the top five for each stage getting cash prizes ranging from Frw 50,000 for the stage winner to Frw10,000 for the fifth. “We have decided to award the stage winners so as to make the event more competitive,” local cycling federation Aimable Bayingana acknowledged while addressing a press conference on Thursday. The top ten overall finishers will bag Frw300,000 , Frw250,000frw, Frw200,000, Frw180,000, Frw150,000, Frw130,000, Frw120,000, Frw110,000, Frw100000 and Frw90000 for the winner and tenth finisher respectively. In the junior category, the winner of each stage will get Frw15,000 while the three top finishers overall will walk away with Frw50,000, Frw40,000 and Frw30,000 respectively. The best three best teams will bag Frw1m, Frw0.7m and Frw0.5million. This year’s event is sponsored by the ministry of Sports and Culture, BRD, ORTPN, Bank Popularie, the National Olympics Committee and Contact FM. Ends
