How Areruya rose to Rwanda’s cycling stardom

Cycling might not be the most famous sport in Rwanda taking into consideration how football has conquered the world in general, however with what the just concluded 8th edition of Tour du Rwanda left on the ground , it is the most loved sport. The event caught the attention of the cycling world over the seven stages and a prologue not because of the stars it attracted, but because of the road-side crowd of fans that turned up to cheer and support. At the end of it all, it paid off; for the third time in a row, Rwandans stayed masters of their own race with Valens Ndayisenga, who rides for South Africa’s UCI Team Dimension Data, winning the title and becoming the first rider to claim the international race more than once after his win in 2014. Since 2009 when the regional show piece became part of the International Cycling Union (UCI), it has attracted hundreds of riders from different continents competing for club and national teams. Joseph Areruya. With the tour continuing to gain fame from all across the world, it has also provided an excellent platform for local promising young talents to expose their skills to the outside world. Among these include the current most spoken name Valens Ndayisenga, Adrien Niyonshuti, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana all riding for South Africa’s Team Dimension Data, 2015 Tour du Rwanda Champion Jean Bosco Nsengimana currently with Germany’s Stradalli Bike Aid among others. However one of the fast-rising stars and probably the future champion currently on-trend is Joseph Areruya. The 20-year-old Kayonza-born star made his debut of Tour du Rwanda last year and shockingly defied the odds finishing in the second place in the general rakings behind winner Jean-Bosco Nsengimana. This year he finished in the fourth place, again as the second best Rwandan behind winner Ndayisenga. Recently Saturday Sports’ Geoffrey Asiimwe caught up with the highly promising star at Africa Rising Cycling Center in Musanze and narrated his journey to top ranks of cycling in Rwanda. Profile Born on 23 November 1996 in Mukarange sector of Kayonza district to Jean Marie vianney Gahemba (a former bicycle rider) and Priscillah Nyirangendahimana, Areruya is the first born in the family of six; three boys and three girls. With a height of 1.75cm and a weight of 71 kilograms, the soft-spoken Areruya looks up from reigning Tour de France English Champion Christopher Froome. Early days The all-rounder has no big Curriculum Vitae in education as he does in cycling. He only completed primary level at his home school Ecole Primary de Kayonza before he decided to devote his life to cycling supported by his parents. “I learnt cycling when I was in primary four simply because cycling in Kayonza is a famous sport so I grew up seeing many competitions taking place and I got obsessed with the sport and after completing primary six I decided to join cycling,” Areruya narrates how he moved from education to cycling. In 2012 while aged 16, he competed in his first cycling race that had been organized by Kayonza district attracting all age groups from across the country. Despite his age and riding the usual bicycles locally referred to as “Pinabaro” , Areruya finished 17th in a number of dozens of senior riders that had participated. That same year, the district organized a Pinabaro tournament for young riders aged 16 and below which Areruya went on to win before going ahead to win senior’s race which he had finished in 17th position previously. “After winning this tournament, I was awarded a brand new bicycle, it’s at this time that I decided to cut short my studies and focus on cycling, it was the most exciting moment of myself, I couldn’t believe I have won my own bicycle,” he explains In 2014, his father Gahemba who is a close friend of Adrien Niyonshuti brought him to Rwamagana where Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy is located. “Niyonshuti was very impressed with my ability and he took me to Les Amis Sportifs de Rwamagana and I was very welcomed by head coach John Rugambwa,’ he recalls how he joined his current club Following his extra-ordinary development, that same year of 2014, he joined the national team; Team Rwanda hence the start of his dream journey. Cycling career Upon joining the national team, Areruya made his debut in the 2015 2.2 UCI Africa Tour of Tour Rwanda. At the age of 19 riding for Team Rwanda Akagera, the soft-spoken rider finished in the second place behind Team Rwanda Karisimbi’s winner Jean Bosco Nsengimana who clocked 23:54:50 beating him by a gap of one minute and forty five seconds. That same year he finished second in the National Road Race Championships before finishing third in the National Time Trial Championships and U23 National Time Trial Championships respectively. He also competed at the Tour de Côte d’Ivoire finishing in the fifth place before competing at last year’s All African Games that were held in Congo-Brazzaville finishing in the seventh place. However in this particular event, as part of Team Rwanda, they won a gold medal in road race courtesy of retired star Janvier Hadi. This year (2016), the all-rounder won Algeria’s Circuit International de Constantine (1.2), a 105km race before finishing second at Tour International de Blida, Grand Prix de la Ville d’Oran all from Algeria before finishing on top of the youth classification of Tour International de Blida. Areruya again finished second in stage two of this year’s 11th edition La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon before winning the stage four of Tour du Rwanda; Rusizi-Huye (140.7km). Again during this year’s Tour du Rwanda, he worn the yellow jersey after stage two; Kigali-Ngoma before losing it to compatriot Ndayisenga who went on to win the whole competition. He finished fourth on the general classification with 21hours 18 minutes and 13 seconds, a gap of 2 minutes and 52 seconds between him and winner Ndayisenga. Best and worst moments “My best moments so far were in 2015 when I was part of Team Rwanda that won a gold medal in All African Games, I will never forget those moments while my worst moment was in 2014 before joining Team Rwanda, I was about to return to school after failing to get facilitation to remain with Les Amis Sportifs but thank God it didn’t happen.” Future plans and ambitions “For me I am yet to begin my career, as long as I am still in Rwanda, I don’t think I will reach where I want to be, I need to be a professional cyclist and God willing in two years to come I will be a professional trading my services abroad.” Appreciation “My sincere gratitude goes to my parents, they really supported me, and another person is Adrien Niyonshuti his pieces of advices helped to grow in mind.” editorial@newtimes.co.rw