Youngster Rene Jean Paul Ukiniwabo has said he feels confident and motivated to impress at the forthcoming 2018 Tour du Rwanda following what he described as a very encouraging performance at the just-concluded Tour du Cameroun. 

The 20-year old Club Les Amis Sportifs prodigy was part of Team Rwanda’s roster that claimed the 15th edition of the annual event courtesy. Bonaventure Uwizeyimana won the overall race, with Ukiniwabo scooping the junior riders’ category award, while Rwanda won the best team award. 

Ukiniwabo, who was making his second appearance at the event after his debut last year, overcame stiff challenge from Slovak Andrej Ján Cully, who was riding for Dukla Banska Bystrica – beating him by one second –, to win the junior category accolade.

The fast-rising cyclist star clocked 21 hours, 59 minutes and 4 seconds, his best performance since his international debut two years ago.

At the 14th Tour du Cameroun last year, Ukiniwabo finished third best rider in the youth category, behind compatriots Valens Ndayisenga and Jean Claude Uwizeye.

"It was very exciting to accomplish our mission as a team – winning the race. Joseph (Areruya) has showed us that anything is possible, that we can win any race on the continent and beyond,” Ukiniwabo told Times Sportyesterday.

"Individually, I am very happy to have won the best younger rider on foreign soil. This motivated me to work even harder with view to putting up a more impressive performance during the upcoming Tour du Rwanda (2018 edition). I may not win the race, but I will learn and gain valuable experience for future purposes,” he added. 

During the 2017 edition of Tour du Rwanda staged in November, Ukiniwabo came close to winning Stage 3 but was outsmarted by eventual stage and overall race winner Areruya and first runner-up Edwin Avila of Team Illuminate in a sprint photo finish.

Each of the three used 2 hours, 23 minutes and 25 seconds.  

The 2018 Tour du Rwanda is scheduled for August 5-12.

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