THE maiden Africa Rising Cycling Centre launched over the weekend in Musanze will boost the tourism industry according to Rwanda cycling team coach American Jack Boyer. The Centre which was inaugurated on Sunday is set to be a world’s cycling hub with professional and amateur cyclists set to benefit from its training and expertise given the uniqueness and the splendour of this gigantic facility in Africa. Sixteen houses, a fully equipped service course, Rwanda’s 1st BMX pump track, an education centre, an organic vegetable garden are among the facilities at the centre located in the northern Musanze district, at 2000m altitude. Boyer said that the Africa Rising Cycling Centre will focus on boosting the level of cycling in Africa and the World at large. “This centre will be home to African teams and European professional clubs as they target to benefit from high altitude training. It will also be paramount in such a way that it will transform the Rwandan youth into better cyclists,” he noted. The region of Musanze is reknown for gorilla trekking, and the centre is looking to exploit that advantage. “Every single tourist that comes to Rwanda will be passing through our centre,” says the country’s national cycling coach. The centre’s outdoor cafe will be open for the tourists to meet, relax and share their Rwanda experience. This will be a source of revenue for a team whose income is far from stable and rarely secured more than three months ahead. Boyer further added: “My goal is just to change a life. If you try to change things for everybody you just end up getting depressed. This is the most difficult thing we’ve ever done but it’s absolutely the most rewarding.”
