No favourite riders as 'Race for Culture' kicks off today

Benediction Cycling Club trainer Felix Sempoma believes there is no clear favourite to win today’s ‘Race for Culture’ from Nyungwe to Nyanza – a total distance of 106km. The last event of the inaugural Rwanda Cycling Cup has attracted an elite field of riders from six clubs across the country including Amis Sportifs (Rwamagana), Benediction (Rubavu), Cine Elmay (Nyamirambo), Cycling for All (Huye), Fly (Gasabo) and Kiramuruzi that will be battling for the honours. “I think it is going to be a tough race. There is no favourite because all the riders that will compete are very strong and have massive experience,” explained Sempoma. Benediction will field 13 riders; the highest by any club with seven of them making the bulk of the national cycling team. The Rubavu-based team will field national team riders like captain Nathan Byukusenge, Janvier Hadi, Gasore Hategeka, Jean Bosco Nsengimana, Patrick Byukusenge and upcoming youngsters like Hakuzimana and Emile Bintunimana but Sempoma has dismissed any mention of advantage. He noted that, “Every time we go for a local race, everyone looks at us as the favourites but the truth is that there are too many strong riders out there. For example, Joseph won the national championships two weeks ago,” said Sempoma. A fortnight ago, Joseph Biziyaremye from Cine Elmay stunned Benediction and Amis Sportifs who were clear favourites in what was perceived as a two-horse race and all the other five clubs have since accorded the Nyamirambo-based side ‘respect’. Amis Sportifs will be without the reigning Tour du Rwanda champion Valens Ndayisenga, who has returned to the World Cycling Centre in Aigle, Switzerland for training. However, John Rugamba’s team will rely on teenager Joseph Aleluya and youngsters Jean Claude Uwizeye, Ephrem Tuyishimire, Omar Nizeyimana and Janvier Rugamba. Aleluya won the Kivu race from Muhanga to Rubavu, a total distance of 138km that was the first event of the Rwanda Cycling Cup in April and will be hoping to replicate that form that also saw him finish second at the national championships a fortnight ago in the general classification and first in the U-23 category. Meanwhile, the 44 riders will commence in Nyungwe and in Nyanza, they will race a 4.2km circuit five times. In a unique arrangement for today’s race, the fastest sprinter to enter the towns of Kitabi, Nyamagabe, Huye, in-front of the Huye bus park and Nyanza receive Rwf50, 000 awarded by the residents of Kitabi, Nyamagabe, Dy-Solutions, Horizon Express and Nyanza district respectively and the overall race winner will bag Rwf100,000.

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No favourite riders as 'Race for Culture' kicks off today