Tour du Rwanda 2018: Safety, anti-doping remain top priority
Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Tour du Rwanda 2017 riders in the peloton as cycling spectators cheer on them during Stage 6, FERWACY told the press that antidopping will be the priority in Tour du Rwanda 2018. Sam Ngendahimana.

RWANDA Cycling Federation, (Ferwacy) president, Aimable Bayingana, has stressed that safety of cyclists and the fight against the use performance-enhancing drugs remains top priority at this year’s edition of Tour of Rwanda come August 5-12.

"In order to keep our race clean, we shall have an anti-doping commission that will be present to test and assess riders. For all these years, Tour of Rwanda has always been clean and we intend to keep it that,” Bayingana told Times Sport in a recent exclusive interview.

As the competition gains fame and rise in rakings, experts have alerted organizers (Ferwacy) to be cautious and avoid to fall into the trap of other cycling races like Tour of France, where a good number of high profile riders have tested positive for drug use.

When asked about the safety of riders during the race, Bayingana highlighted that,” We have a strong partnership with Rwanda National Police (RNP), we will closely work together to ensure everything goes according to them plan. We hope to have an incident-free race,”

The year’s 10th edition is set to start on August 5-12 and will be made up of eight stages.

A total 16 teams have confirmed to take part in this year’s edition and Rwanda will be represented by three teams led by Team Rwanda Cycling joined by Club Benediction and Les Amis Sportifs de Rwamagana.

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