Monday
UCI Road World Championships
Men U23 Individual Time Trial (27.8km): 2:40 pm - 4:50 pm
Team Rwanda
1. Samuel Mugisha 2. Joseph Areruya
TEAM Rwanda cyclists begin chase for medals at the 91st edition of the UCI World Road Championships this afternoon when the duo of Samuel Mugisha and Joseph Areruya compete in the Men’s U23 Individual Time Trial.
The highly rated annual cycling event got underway Sunday in Innsbruck – Austria, attracting the world’s elites and exceptional youngsters in both men and women's categories.
Team Rwanda, led by head coach Sterling Magnell, is represented by seven riders; five in the men’s U23 category and two in the juniors’ category.
The five riders in the men U23 category are led by the reigning Tour du Rwanda champion Samuel Mugisha and last year’s winner Joseph Areruya. They are joined by a trio of home-based riders; Didier Munyaneza, Rene Jean Paul Ukiniwabo and Samuel Hakiruwizeye.
Jean Eric Habimana and Renus Byiza Uhiriwe will compete in the juniors’ category.
Mugisha, 20, and Areruya, 22, hit the road this afternoon in the Men U23 Individual Time Trial (ITT), which will be contested by a total 71 riders from 42 countries.
The two riders who have had a stellar 2018 season will be aiming to improve from their disappointing performance last year in Bergen, Norway where they both failed to finish the 191-kilometer road race.
About the course
The race begins at the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens. The course is a classic but very hilly time trial with a total distance of 27,8km. The first seven kilometres are flat, followed by a steep climb from Mils to Absam with 100 vertical metres of elevation gain.
Thanks to the wide roads, the course is not particularly technical, but pacing the effort correctly will be essential. The final section is a fast run into the finish through several villages to the east of Innsbruck offering great views of the city and its Olympic Village.
The race concludes in front of the Hofburg imperial palace in the city centre.
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