Ferwacy reveals Team Rwanda for La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2019

2019 stages Stage one Jan 21: Bongoville – Moanda (100km) Stage two Jan 22: Franceville – Okondja (170km) Stage three Jan 23: Leconi – Franceville (100km) Stage four Jan 24: Mitzic – Oyem (120km) Stage five Jan 25: Bitam - Mongomo (G.E) (120km) Stage six Jan 26: Bitam – Oyem (110km) Stage seven Jan 27: Nkok – Libreville (140km) The local cycling governing body (Ferwacy) has unveiled Team Rwanda roster that will represent the country at the 2019 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon. The 14th edition of the annual race will run from January 21 through 27. Defending champion Joseph Areruya will lead the Rwandan contingent at the week-long event as he bids to be the first African rider to clinch the highly coveted title twice. For the first time, the UCI Africa 2.2 category race will cross Gabon to Cameroun and Equatorial Guinea. Areruya, 22, is part of a six-man team – a blend of youthfulness and experience – that was released on Thursday. Should Rwanda’s most decorated sports personality reclaim the competition’s title next month, he will become the first African and only the second cyclist to win it more than once, following in the footsteps of former French professional rider Anthony Charteau who clinched it a record three times, having won it uninterrupted from 2010 to 2012. Riding for France’s Delko–Marseille Provence KTM, Areruya is currently in a residential training camp at Africa Rising Cycling Center (ARCC) in Musanze District along with, among others, former Dimension Data teammate Samuel Mugisha – the reigning Tour du Rwanda champion. The team also includes this year’s Tour du Cameroun winner Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, the 2018 national champion Didier Munyaneza, Jean Claude Uwizeye and youngster Yves Nkurunziza. The latter will be the sole Rwandan debutant in the Gabonese race. The team will again be under the guidance of assistant coach Felix Sempoma who guided them to last year’s heroics and, will be assisted by Patrick Kayinamura as the soigneur and Theoneste Karasira as the mechanic. “Training is going on very well, the atmosphere in the team and attitude of riders in camp is excellent. I am also grateful to ARCC and Ferwacy for being very supportive in our preps,” Sterling Magnell, Team Rwanda head coach, told Saturday Sport in an exclusive interview. “We have been able to implement some new measures such as specific strength training at the gym, and the riders are responding well. We are all working well together,” he added. “We look forward to seeing the results in numbers come January in La Tropicale and February in our own Tour du Rwanda,” the American tactician further noted. The seven-stage race will cover a total of 860 kilometers, this time visiting Equatorial Guinea via Cameroon and a total of 15 teams have been confirmed to compete – including 10 African national teams and five professional teams. The ten African national teams include Gabon, Rwanda, Morocco, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Mauritius, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Algeria and Cameroun. The professional teams include; Direct Energie, Vital Concept-B&B Hotels and Arkea-Samsic all from France, Androni Giocatolli from Italy and Pro Touch from South Africa. At its 13th edition this year, Rwanda was represented by six riders, led by the then Tour du Rwanda champion Areruya who went on to defy odds and lift the title in the Gabonese capital, Libreville, in the presence of President Ali Bongo Ondimba on January 21. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Ferwacy reveals Team Rwanda for La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2019