Akagera bridge at Kicukiro-Bugesera road. The road will be closed tomorrow and Thursday morning
Rwanda Cycling governing Body (FERWCY) has said that two major roads will be closed to the public for the good conduct of African cycling championship.
Rwanda will host the African Cycling Championship between February 14th to 18th, a road race which will ply Kigali Bugesera and Kigali city road network.
The first phase will cover Kicukiro(Nyanza)-Bugesera(Nyamata) on Wednesday February 14th and Thursday 15th, which emplies the closure of the road to other users between 7.30am and 1.30pm.
On Feburary 16th, teams will rest to resume business on February 17th through February 18th, the final day.
Golden Tulip Hotel, the race finishing/starting line
That Saturday and Sunday 17th-18, the road network that will be left to the only cyclists is Amahoro stadium (mu Migina) -Controle Techinique-Hotel le Printemps-Kimironko-Kibagaga- Hospital-deviation Kinyinya-Mukabuga ka Nyarutarama(Kwa Ndengeye)-MTN- center-RDB-mu Rwego-Airtel –Stadium Amahoro.
The road network will be closed between 8am and 2pm on those particular days.
It is for the second time Rwanda is hosting the African cycling champinship. The first time Rwanda hosted the race was in 2010.
In this year’s edition so far, 22 countries who will participate have registered 167 cyclists including 122 men and 45 women.
Cyclists at Tour du Rwanda 2017. Already popular in Rwanda, cycling competitions always draw crowds to the roads
African Cycling Championships 2018 will have different category including; Men Elite, Women Elite, Women junior and men junior.
The Women Junior Road race will cover a distance of 60km while their male counterparts will do 72km.
Elite Women will compete in 84km race while the Elite Men will race for 168km in Kigali City.
Last year’s African Continental Road Championships took place in Luxor, Egypt and was won by South African Willie Smit in the Men Elite category.
Rwanda has not won men’s elite road race tittle but managed to scoop 8 other medals of this annual event since 2013.
According to La Tropicale Amisa Bongo and Tour de l’Espoir winner Areruya Joseph in this year’s African Cycling Continental road race challenge the Rwandan cyclists will be looking forward winning medals.
Tour du Rwanda 2017 prologue
“This is a big competition but we have to maintain our winning styles by continuing to compete and not participating as we have always done it in several competitions” Ndayisenga told KT Press.
From this particular competition, the two time Champion of Tour du Rwanda Valens Ndayisenga won silver medal in 2015 U23 Time Trial before scooping gold in the same category in 2016.
Among other medals that Rwanda has won include the 2009 bronze medal won by Adrien Niyonshuti in the U23 Road Race, 2013 bronze medal by Janvier Hadi also in the U23 men’s road race. In 2016, Jean Claude Uwizeye also won a silver medal in the same category.
Meanwhile in the female category rider Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu scooped a silver medal in the Individual Time Trial in 2016.
Africa Cycling Championship Categories
February 14th
Team Time Trial (Boys & Girls): 18.6km
Team Time Trial (juniors): 18.6km
Team Time Trial (Women Seniors): 40km
Team Time Trial (Men Seniors): 40km
February 15th
Individual Time Trial (Boys & Girls): 18.6km
Individual Time Trial (Boys Junior): 18,6km
Individual Time Trial (Women Senior): 40km
Individual Time Trial (Men Senior): 40km
February 17th
Junior race: 72km
Men U23: 84km
February 18th
Road Race: 168km
Among the cyclists, Rwanda has fronted the following players in both women and men category.
Men Elite: Jean Bosco Nsengimana, Patrick Byukusenge, Jean Claude Uwizeye, Valens Ndayisenga, Adrien Niyonshuti, Joseph Areruya, Samuel Mugisha and Didier Munyaneza.
Women Elite:Â Béathe Ingabire, Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu, Magnifique Manizabayo and Jacqueline Tuyishimire
Men Junior:Â Jean Eric Habimana, Yves Nkurunziza, Barnabé Gahemba, and Jean Claude Nzafashwanayo
Women Junior:Â Samantha Mushimiyimana and Violette Irakoze Neza.
