Home Sports Tour du Rwanda 2017 Start list Confirmed

Tour du Rwanda 2017 Start list Confirmed

by Bonnie Mugabe
5:52 pm

Team Rwanda will be eyeing home glory as they seek to win the 2017 Tour du Rwanda

With just four days left to the start of the 2017 Tour du Rwanda edition, Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY) has confirmed the start list of riders who will be competing in the most exciting UCI 2.2 event which starts on November 12 until 19, 2017.

The Tour du Rwanda start list of 79 riders representing six national teams and eleven professional clubs has official race numbers, with defending champion Rwandan Ndayisenga Valens, currently with Austria’s Tirol Cycling team, taking the number one position.

Ndayisenga’s team mates Gamper Patrick, Knapp Daniel and Vermeulen Moran occupy the remaining top three starting slots.

Other teams to watch during this year’s edition include Dimension Data for Qhubeka which will be led by Eritrean Eyob Metkel alongside Rwandan dup of Areruya Joseph and Mugisha Samuel, Weldu Hafetab and South African De Bod Stefan.

Other teams to watch include Team Rwanda composed of Nsengimana Jean Bosco, Uwizeye Jean Claude, Byukusenge Patrick, Ukiniwabo Jean Paul Rene and Munyaneza Didier; Benediction club which will be composed of Hategeka Gasore, Nduwayo Eric,  Ruberwa Jean, Nizeyimana Alexis and Uwizeyimana Bonaventure among others.

Since 2014, Rwandans have dominated the annual competition.  In 2014, Valens Ndayisenga, who then was riding for Team Rwanda Kalisimbi, made history becoming the first Rwandan to win the annual race since it became part of UCI Africa 2.2 tour and in 2015, Jean Bosco Nsengimana, also riding for Kalisimbi claimed it.

Last year, Ndayisenga, riding for South Africa’s Dimension Data for Qhubeka, triumphed and in the process, became the first rider to win it more than once since it became an international race in 2009.

For this year, the Rwamagana-born rider will be racing for Austria’s Tirol Cycling team. Other Rwandan professional riders tipped to shine are; Samuel Mugisha and Joseph Areruya, who are contracted to Dimension Data for Qhubeka.

The big names that will likely race for local teams include; Nsengimana, Jean Claude Uwizeye, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, Patrick Byukusenge and Gasore Hategeka.

The Tour du Rwanda has established itself as one of Africa’s major stage races and has helped a lot of African riders to develop themselves.

Below is a list of the Tour du Rwanda 2017 riders and their shirt numbers:

Tirol Cycling Team

1 Ndayisenga Valens

2 Gamper Patrick

3 Knapp Daniel

4 Vermeulen Moran

Dimension Data

11 Eyob Metkel

12 Areruya Joseph

13 Mugisha Samuel

14 Weldu Hafetab

15 De Bod Stefan

Eritrea National Team

21 Okubamariam Tesfom

22 Musie Mehari Saymon

23 Tsegay Amanueal

24 Debretsion Aron

25 Mebrahtom Natnael

Rwanda National Team

31 Nsengimana Jean Bosco

32 Uwizeye Jean Claude

33 Byukusenge Patrick

34 Ukiniwabo Jean Paul Rene

35 Munyaneza Didier

BIKE AID

41 Holler Nikodemus

42 Kipkemboi Salim

43 Kangangi Suleiman

44 Langat Geoffrey

45 Van Engellen Adne

BENEDICTION CLUB

51 Hategeka Gasore

52 Nduwayo Eric

53 Ruberwa Jean

54 Nizeyimana Alexis

55 Uwizeyimana Bonaventure

Kenyan Riders SAFARICOM

61 Kiplagat Kelvin Kiping’Etich

62 Gathiambo Joshpat

63 Kariuki John

64 Kimutai Andrew

65 Kipkemboi Kiplagat Cornelius

HAUTE SAVOIE AUVERGNE RHONES ALPES

71 Fournet Fayard Sebastien

72 Clavel Sylvain

73 Jeannes Mathieu

74 Roux Nicolas

75 Goudin Valentin

ALGERIA National Team

81 Lagab Azzedine

82 Mansouri Abderrahmane

83 Mansouri Islam

84 Lounis Mehdi

85 Hamza Yacine

ETHIOPIA National Team

91 Giday Kibrom

92 Gebremariam Fiseha

93 Ebrahim Redwan

94 Gebrewahd Tamrat Meresa

95 Redae Tedros

LOWESTRATES.CA

101 McPhaden Cameron

102 Keeping Stephen

103 Cusson Fradet Jules

104 Wachtendorf Brelt

105 Greene Edward

LES AMIS SPORTIFS

111 Tuyishimire Ephrem

112 Rugamba Janvier

113 Uwingeneye Jimmy

114 Hakiruwizeye Samuel

115 Mfitumukiza Jean Claude

DUKLA BANSKA BYSTRICA

121 Tybor Patrik

122 Oros Samuel

123 Foltan Adrian

124 Mahdar Martin

125 Palcak Josef

MAURITIUS National Team

131 Rougier-Lagane Christopher

132 Le Court de Billot Olivier

133 Mayer Alexendre

134 Lincoln Yannick

135 How Saw Keng Mathew

TEAM ILLUMINATE

141 Avila Vanegas Edwin Alcibiades

142 Mccutcheon Connor

143 Piper Cameron

144 Eastern Griffin

145 Pellaud Simon

Morocco National Team

151 AIT El bdia Anass

152 Benouzza Hicham

153 Sabbahi Lahcen

154 Sabbahi El Houcaine

155 Saber Lahcen

Interpro cycling Academy

161 Okubamariam Tesfom

162 Garcia Damien

163 Hurdy Florian

164 Amadori Julien

165 Lamarre Sony

Tour du Rwanda 2017 routes:

12-11-2017: Kigali-Kigali lap (3.3 km)

13-11-2017: Kigali-Huye (120.3 km)

14-11-2017: Nyanza-Rubavu (180 km)

15-11-2017: Rubavu-Musanze (95km)

16-11-2017: Musanze- Nyamata (121 km)

17-11-2017: Nyamata-Rwamagana (93.1 km)

18-11-2017: Kayonza-Kigali (86.3 km)

19-11-2017: Kigali-Kigali (120 km)