Team Rwanda’s stand-in coach Felix Sempoma and his six-man roster on Friday left for Gabon with eyes set on clinching La Tropicale Amissa Bongo race slated for January 23-29.
The race returns to the UCI international calendar after a three-year hiatus due to the Covid pandemic which has affected the world of sports since early 2020.
Disputed over 1035 kilometres, the event will be contested for in seven stages, with the longest covering a distance of over 180 kilometers.
La Tropicale belongs to the UCI Africa Tour 2.1 calendar and Team Rwanda has won the general individual classification of this event seven times.
Joseph Areruya who won this race in 2018 and Moïse Mugisha, who won the Tour du Cameroon in June 2022, are among the six riders who will represent Rwanda in Gabon.
Areruya, who is the national team skipper, said that he and his teammates will be looking for nothing but to return home victorious.
"We are satisfied with the way our riders have been doing during training sessions. We are very happy with their standing, and hopefully we will do much better in the Tour,” team captain Joseph Areruya said before jetting off.
"It’s going to be a tough competition but we are supposed to be positive, after all, we have nothing to lose. All the teams are strong and it will be a real test for us,” he added.
La Tropicale, which in its 16th edition of the African continent's flagship event, promises to once again bring together in Gabon the champions who are used to major world events and African riders to showcase the continent's talents.
La Tropicale Amissa Bongo became the first African race to be promoted to the International Cycling Union's first category,
Team Rwanda riders
Joseph Areruya
Moise Mugisha
Eric Manizabayo
Uhiriwe Byiza Renus
Patrick Byukusenge
Swayibu Kagibwami