All eyes will be on Tour du Rwanda and Tropicale Amissa Bongo reigning champion Joseph Areruya and his colleague Jean Bosco Nsengimana
Rwandan duo Nsengimana Jean Bosco and Areruya Joseph face stiff opposition when the African Continental Road Championship resume on Thursday with the Individual Time Trial (ITT) in Kicukiro District, Kigali City.
Areruya and Nsengimana will be lone riders representing Rwanda in today’s 40km elite men’s Individual Time Trial on Thursday morning.
Regarded as sprint specialists in the country, Nsengimana and Areruya will face top competitors such as Eritrean duo of Debesay Mekseb and Gebreigzabhier Amanuel, Algerian Manzouri Islam from Algeria, Ethiopian Ebrahim Redwan and South African Van Heerden Eddie.
Nsengimana, a Tour du Rwanda 2015 winner is ranked among the top GC five riders with 871 points and ranked first in Africa in the best time trial competitors based upon the PCS time trial ranking with 50 points while Areruya, a reigning champion of the Tour du Rwanda, La Tropicale Amissa Bongo and Tour du l’Espoir is ranked second with 39 points.
Areruya who finished third in the previous edition of individual time trial category but has since improved his individual performances will pose a big threat even to the foreign region but on paper, Areruya’s big rival should be his teammate at Dimension Data, Eritrean Debesay Mekseb and Algerian category title holder Azzedine Lagab.
Commenting on Tuesday’s elite men’s TTT race, Areruya said, “It is disappointing that we did not win gold. Had it not been a bike puncture from Jean Bosco Nsengimana, we had a win in out sight. Nonetheless, we have to remain positive and look forward to the remaining races Individual Time Trial (ITT). Congratulations to Eritrea for the 8th consecutive title milestone.”
Ahead of Thursday’s elite men’s ITT, Areruya said, “My mission is to win gold and I am well prepared. I know well the course and competing at home will boost my ambition of accomplishing this mission successfully,”
Other top competitors to watch in today’s men elite individual time trial include; 20-year old Algerian Mansouri Islam, Buru Temesgen (Ethiopia), Namibian Coetzee Drikus and South African Van Heerden.
Besides the elite men’s individual time trial on schedule today, Rwanda will be represented in the elite women, junior men and junior female races respectively.
In the elite women ITT, Rwanda will be represented by Girubuntu Jeanne d’Arc and Ingabire Beatha while Nkurunziza Yves and Nzafashwanayo Jean Claude are set to compete in the men’s junior ITT whereas MMushimiyimana Samantha and Irakoze Neza Violette are set to carry Rwanda’s flag against in the women’s junior race.
