It’s finally here: the 16th Tour du Rwanda edition! The last-minute withdrawal of Dutch professional cycling squad squad dsm–firmenich PostNL from the peloton represents a minor alteration.
On Sunday, February 18, the race gets underway, with four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome in the lead. Froome returned this year with the goal of claiming a last triumph, having discovered the courses of the Land of a Thousand Hills in 2023.
This Rwandan week will see the participation of seven more riders who have also had the honor of riding in the greatest race in the world, proving that the Tour du Rwanda has established itself as a benchmark not just on the African continent but also internationally.
It is no accident that Kigali, Rwanda, will host the first-ever world championship cycling competition to be hosted on the African continent in 2025.
The riders will actually be competing on several of the World Championship circuits, like as the KCC-KCC final stage and the team time trial on Sunday.
Following tradition, the peloton will traverse the mountainous roads that are the stuff of Rwandan legend. The riders from all over the world will start the race, with the Africans led by the riders from Eritrea, the cycling mecca, and the Rwandans, who want to shine on the roads in front of their fervent and ever-growing fan base.
To help its young aspirants get acquainted to the big events, the World Tour teams Soudal-QuickStep, who will be present in 2023, Groupama-FDJ, UAE Team Emirates, and Lotto-Dstny have dispatched their development teams, with a year and a half until the World Championships.
A number of ProTeams will also be present from the outset, including Pierre Latour’s TotalEnergies, Chris Froome’s Israel-Premier Tech, Lennert Teugels’ Bingoal WB, and Jhonatan Restrepo’s Polti-Kometa.
Since Tour du Rwanda was sanctioned to 2.1 in 2019, no Rwandan has won the event. Homegrown stars like Team Rwanda’s Eric Muhoza, Samuel Niyonkuru, Eric Manizabayo, and past winner Joseph Hareruya are also eager to break the 2.1 race jinx.
Muhoza, who was then riding for the German team BikeAid, had demonstrated an unparalleled performance in the Tour du Rwanda 2023, finishing five stages in second place behind the leader but eventually falling outside of the top five.
His ultimate goal for this year? achieving at least a stage’s victory, specifically stage 3.
“There is no pressure on us to win the race; everyone is incredibly motivated and thrilled to perform well this year. We’re here to get better than we were last year, so I can’t say we’re not fighting for the top spots,” Muhoza stated.
“The competition is fierce, but we are improving every year, so I think we can make some progress this year.”
The route will cover 740 kilometers in eight stages, taking cyclists through the entire nation and along the beaches of Lake Kivu, the Gorilla Park, and the Akagera Park.
A total of 195 riders from 19 teams around the globe will begin the week-long Tour du Rwanda competition.
It’s one of the most renowned cycling races in Africa. It travels the entire length and breadth of the breathtaking 1000-hill country.
Riders from all over the world challenge the Rwandan riders on their territory every year.
The competition gives African cyclists the chance to stand out in the framework of a professional and well-run transition in the world’s best professional teams.
The Tour du Rwanda organizers have scheduled brief road kilometers this year in order to expedite the race and end it early.
In actuality, two of the eight stages will take place on world wide competition.
They featured a time trial that will provide a special Grand Départ with a team time trial around the Kigali Convention Center, as well as a final stage that will provide a preview of the challenges that cyclists worldwide will face in less than two years.
Like in previous years, the routes for the 2024 edition will feature lengthy climbs during the majority of the stages, along with a 13-kilometer solo time trial on the heights of Musanze in the middle of the week for the first time.
Tour of Rwanda 2024 will undoubtedly be the hardest race because it includes the renowned route to the summit of Mount Kigali, which is undoubtedly one of the most demanding ones.
The Tour du Rwanda 2024 winner will be determined by the riders’ combined mileage of 740 km, with the Rukomo (Gicumbi)-Kayonza section being the longest at 163 km.
The phases
Stage 1: Team Time Trial: 18 km; BK Arena – KCC Roundabout.
Stage 2: 130km from Muhanga to Kibeho
Stage 3: 141km from Huye to Rusizi
Stage 4: 92km from Karongi to Rubavu
Stage 5: 13km individual time trial between Musanze and Kinigi
Stage 6: 93-kilometer Musanze-Mont Kigali
Stage 7: Kayonza (163km) – Rukomo (Gicumbi)
Phase Eight: KCC-KCC (90km).
