Rwandan riders deserve commendation, not criticism

Editor, RE: “UCI Road Championship: Ndayisenga ends on low as Slovakia’s Sagan wins road race” (The New Times, September 25). Just so your readers know....the riders of Team Rwanda Cycling did an amazing job representing your country at the World Championships. Samuel Mugisha was in a 6-lap breakaway for the majority of the race with three Eritreans and one Moroccan. There were five African riders in a major break which speaks volumes about the rise of cycling not only in Rwanda but throughout the continent. Mr Mugisha put Rwanda on the map last week. He was talked about on all the international coverage outlets, including in the US where we watched the programme live on NBC. They talked about the rise of cycling in Rwanda and the Tour du Rwanda and Mr Mugisha as one of the up and coming starts in cycling. If you know cycling, you know the breakaway rarely wins the race. However, the breakaway is significant in setting the pace and getting coverage for countries and sponsors. You should be celebrating Mr Mugisha’s epic performance and not calling any of the rides a disappointment. Just so you know, both Joseph Areruya and Valens Ndayisenga had mechanicals. Mr Areruya on his Team DiData bike and Mr. Ndayisenga on one of the national team bikes. That too is bike racing. Kimberly Moszyk Coats

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Rwandan riders deserve commendation, not criticism