Local riders turn focus to Tour du Rwanda preps

The Rwanda Cycling Cup winds up this weekend with local riders racing through the Tour du Rwanda routes starting with; Nyagatare-Rwamagana (135km) on Saturday before winding up with Rwamagana-Huye, a distance of 166km on Sunday. Tour du Rwanda is scheduled to run from November 15-22, and it will have eight stages covering a total distance of 938.5 kilometers. The annual event will include 85 riders, five for each of the 17 sides, a new record for the 2.2 UCI Africa competition. Last year, the event had 16 teams and a total of 80 riders. Rwanda will maintain three teams including Akagera, Karisimbi and Muhabura with the home side eyeing title defense having won last year’s edition, as Valens Ndayisenga became the first Rwandan rider to win the Tour du Rwanda since its inception on the UCI Africa calendar in 2009. This weekend’s race is the last (10th) on the inaugural Rwanda Cycling Cup, organized by the Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY) before the 7th edition of Tour du Rwanda. Over the 10 races that make Rwanda Cycling Cup, riders will garner points in each race and after all races an overall national champion will be announced. All national team riders competed either for their respective clubs or on individual basis, and the top rider will be bestowed as the best of the year at the end of next month. In the past Rwanda Cycling Cup races, Hadi Janvier won the first Race for Culture after a long solo breakaway—the Benediction Club rider also won the Race to Remember. Bosco Nsangimana, also of Benediction Club, put on a dominant display to win the Northern Circuit, while his teammate, Patrick Byukusenge secured the Western Circuit. Amis Sportifs rider Jean Claude Uwizeye won Tour of Kigali while his teammate Joseph Haleluya won Kivu Race, and the Race against Watch was claimed by the reigning Tour du Rwanda champion Ndayisenga. Joseph Biziyaremye of Ciney Elmay took the National Championships race. Meanwhile, Team Rwanda rider Biziyaremye is in 11th position with a time of 02h31’03’’ in the general Classification after stage one on Thursday at the ongoing Grand Prix International Chantal Biya in Cameroon. Uwizeyimana is in 23rd position after he clocked 2h31’03’’; Joseph Aleluya is 12th with time of 2h31’03’’. Hategeka Gasore came 38th after clocking 2h31’03’’ while the All Africa Games gold medalist, Janvier finished 39th. The first top three include Raim Mihkel of Team Pro Nicolas, Barbari Adil of Algeria and Saidi Nassim of Cameroon, all with similar time of 2h31’03’’. By press time, riders were competing in stage two, from Yaoundé to Ebolowa, covering a total distance of 155,3km. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Local riders turn focus to Tour du Rwanda preps