Among beneficiaries, the students from Bugesera district
Bugesera district, one of the places where many bicycles are found in Rwanda, is now home to the first ever pump track in the country after construction was completed recently.
The track was designed and constructed by the Swiss “Velosolutions” company and will soon enable thousands of children from all over to take advantage of this new addition to ride, have fun, and improve their cycling skills.
The BMX-styled pump track was built by Israel – Premier Tech with the support of more than 1200 cycling fans from around the world who, together with the Israeli pro cycling team’s owners, riders, and staff, donated more than €250,000 to build the cycling center.
This funding was raised during a worldwide fundraising campaign that was launched at the 2022 Tour de France.
Volunteers at work at the construction site
The project, which is part of Israel Premier Tech Team’s “Field of Dreams” initiatives, continues in the second phase with the development of a racing and training course.
This phase will involve building a race and training track that will enable more advanced pro riders of all ages to develop their skills.
“We made sure that this particular pump track would be a source of joy and skill development for a wide range of youth,” said Velosolutions and Pump for Peace CEO Claudio Caluori.
“It is a beautiful pump track and none deserve it more than the youth of Bugesera. We may see some fast kids coming from there soon.”
The team plans to send bikes and trainers from Israel to Rwanda specifically to train both guides from the local community and the women’s cycling team that Israel – Premier Tech adopted and has supported for the past two years.
Team founder Ron Baron vowed that the team would continue its commitment to the Racing for Change vision. “This is a dream come true. This beautiful pump track is the first step to giving the youth of Bugesera what they so deserve. This whole project will impact the lives of many.”
Richard Mutabazi, the Mayor of Bugesera, has given his full support to the initiative and said, “We see this project as a unique opportunity for the whole community – especially our youth. This is only the start of a great and promising mission that will change lives for the better.”
