Team Rwanda Star rider Adrien Niyonshuti will spearhead Rwanda’s medal chances in the elite men’s TTT set for today.
Rwanda cycling team, Team Rwanda begins their quest for gold today when the 2018 UCI African Continental Road Championship gets underway in Kigali.
The event which starts today until Sunday kicks-off with Team Time Trial (TTT) races on Wednesdaymorning in Nyamata, Bugesera District.
The Team Rwanda assistant coach Felix Sempoma said, “Our cyclists are ready to battle for gold medals in this championship. We know the oppositions at stake eager to challenge us but all in all, we are ready for the championship and our ultimate goal is to win and topple the standings in every category,”
“We are used to the course and I believe all our riders in the different categories will perform well,” added Sempoma.
Veteran rider Adrien Niyonshuti also said on Tuesday, “We are ready for the championship. We have been training hard and waiting for this day, now it’s time to deliver and keep our national flag flying,”
“The elite men’s competition will be tough but we are well prepared to battle Africa’s best to ensure that the title remains home,”
Niyonshuti will be competing in the elite men’s TTT set for 12:00, alongside two-time Tour du Rwanda champion Valens Ndayisenga, the 2015 Tour du Rwanda winner Jean Bosco Nsengimana and sensational Joseph Areruya whose name has become a cycling anthem. Teams will be departing every after 3 minutes.
Today’s event begins with a Junior women’s Team Time Trial worth of 18.6km slated to start at 9am, junior men’s team title trial due at 9:20am which will be followed by the U23 & Elite women’s TTT (40km) due 9:50am to11:00am before concluding with the much awaited U23 & Elite men’s TTT (40km) from 10:20am to 12:00pm.
The African Continental Cycling Championships are a series of cycling races held annually since 2005 in Africa, with the best riders of the continent selected from this competition.
This year’s event has attracted a total of 167 riders, 122 men and 45 women, representing 22 African countries including the giants of Africa such as Eritrea, Algeria, Morocco, South Africa and Ethiopia who are expected to give the hosts Rwanda a hard time in the chase for medals.
Other countries in Kigali for the competitions are; Nigeria, Swaziland, Seychelles, Namibia, Djibouti, Mauritius, Benin, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Burundi.
Wednesday Schedule
Team Time Trial (TTT)
Junior women’s TTT (18.6km) – 9:00 am – 9:45am
Junior men’s TTT (18.6km) – 9:20am – 10:00am
U23 & Elite women’s TTT (40km) 9:50am – 11:00am
U23 & Elite men’s TTT (40km) – 10:20am – 12:00pm
