The rise of cycling in Rwanda

In the cycling world, the name Eddy Merckx is as big as Edson Arantes do Nascimento (Pele) in football. Although Merckx is regarded by many as the greatest cyclist of all-time, much of today’s generation is better known to Lance Armstrong – the American who drug-cheated his way to seven Tour De France titles. But unlike Armstrong who symbolizes unfair competition through doping, Merckx represents the epitome of resilience, challenge and triumph. The now seventy-year old Belgian raced his first professional season in 1965 at a tender age of 20; and by the end of his industrious career in 1978, he had scooped an enviable 525 victories. If I was a professional cyclist, Merckx would be my role model, and I bet he serves in that capacity to a number of Rwandan cyclists. Over the years, cycling in Rwanda has conquered a level of greatness that was never expected. Now, whenever there’s some great news about sports in Rwanda, 99 percent of the bets will say it is about cycling. Our own Merckx - Janvier Hadi – caused a rapture of joyfulness when he won gold in the men’s road race of 150km at the All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville. The 24-year old is certainly a long way to go before he can be regarded in the same breath as Merckx, but he truly has the talent and strength to raise our flag in as many cycling competitions as possible. With his current superior form, he can actually match other great African cyclists like the Eritrean, Daniel Teklehaimanot. Hadi is one in a cluster of upcoming Rwandan riders that have shown that cycling could probably become the national sport. Young winners like Valens Ndayisenga, Bosco Nsangimana, Patrick Byukusenge, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, Jeremie Karegeya and the South Africa-based Adrian Niyonshuti, have the ability to compete anywhere in the world. However, as seen with several sports federations in Rwanda, consistency is a problem – and the Rwanda Cycling Federation does not need to experience this challenge first hand. They can learn from FERWAF’s experience and avoid mismanagement hitches and all the things about national football governing body that make us want to cry all the time. Rwanda is ranked second in African cycling, which is something we can gladly cheer about. However, maintaining that rank, or achieving a higher international rank, is a test that the Ministry of Sports and Culture should be very concerned about. Some pessimists claim that cycling does not attract a mammoth following like football does, or as many lucrative deals as other sports like basketball and cricket. But think of it this way. If we become the greatest cycling nation in the world, only the sky will limit what we can achieve. FERWAFA and Azam should market strong fixtures The Spanish La Liga iS famed for its so-called “El Classico” tie between Barcelona and Real Madrid. This game is no longer a local Spanish fixture but an international fixture, thanks to great marketing strategies that have sold it as a must-watch-or-die fixture worldwide. The same applies for the Manchester – Liverpool, or the Arsenal – Manchester United fixtures, which are usually anticipated by fans months before they kick off. Unfortunately for the Rwandan situation, there is no apparent marketing structure that sells strong fixtures to Rwandan fans and regional sports enthusiasts. Basically, we are frequently left to rely on news stories from the press, second hand information, or a downloadable fixture from the FERWAFA website. But there are no TV adverts, say, for the September 23rd fixture between Rayon Sports FC and AS Kigali. Even our own beloved El Classico between Rayon Sports FC and APR appears when it appears. No match build up is offered, no appetizer, nothing! We need to see town billboards biting into the rivalry of clubs, for example, showing APR players going to war with Rayon Sports. The power of advertisement is all that some people need to understand the vitality of these fixtures. These are some of the exciting things that new sponsors Azam should be looking into.

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The rise of cycling in Rwanda