Four top Ethiopian female riders have secured a one-month long training camp at the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC) in Musanze. The quartet that arrives this morning from Addis Ababa includes reigning continental bronze medalist in the women’s road race competition, Hadnet Asmelash as well as Tsega Gebre, Eden Bekele and Eyeru Tesfoam. The 22-year-old Asmelash, who finished third at this year’s Africa continental cycling championships last month in South Africa, has already secured a ticket to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games and will be hoping to use the facilities at the high level training centre in Musanze to prepare her bid for a possible medal at the world’s most prestigious sports event. Rwanda’s top female cyclist Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu will train alongside the Ethiopians before heading to the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland where she will be trained by renowned coach Jean-Jacques Henry and will compete in several races for three months. Team Rwanda Cycling head of marketing and logistics Kimberly Coats told Times Sport that, “This is an epic moment with Rwanda and Ethiopia women’s cycling. To come to the Africa Rising Cycling Center and train with the coaches of Team Rwanda, we are hoping to build a larger and stronger network of women cyclists who can eventually make it to the professional peloton in Europe. ARCC in Rwanda will become the hub of women’s cycling and training due to the quality of the facility, the coaches and the support of the Rwandan government. Girubuntu, a two-time national champion at the age of 20 years, is excited at this development and has revealed that she is ready to learn from the Ethiopians as well as challenge them in training. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
