Saturday Rwanda Cycling Cup: Northern Challenge Women elites: 80.4km Juniors (Men): 100.5km Men elites & U23: 150.5km The DR Congo national team are one of the ten-team peloton that will be racing the Northern Challenge, in Musanze District, on Saturday. Northern Challenge, also known as Musanze Circuit, is the second on the line-up of races comprising this year’s Rwanda Cycling Cup. The Congolese have been in the country, at Africa Rising Cycling Centre in Musanze, since June 28 where they are preparing for the upcoming Tour du Congo. They will wrap up their residential camp on July 18. Benediction Excel Energy, who are fresh from dominating this year’s road race championship last month, also look to use Musanze Circuit as a preparation race ahead of the Tour du Congo. The Rubavu-based side have confirmed their participation in the stage race, which gets underway on July 21. Other local teams taking part in the Northern Challenge include; Fly Cycling Club, Les Amis Sportifs, Cycling Club for All, Muhazi Cycling Generation, Karongi Vision Sports Centre, Kigali Cycling Club, Nyabihu Cycling Team and Kayonza Young Stars. The riders will compete under three different categories, with women doing 12 laps of a 6.7km circuit in Musanze town for a total of 80.4 kilometres, while the men’s junior category will race 15 laps, covering 100.5 kilometres. In the men’s U-23 and elite category, which is the main event of the race, riders will be flagged off from Gakenke District and pedal it out at a distance of 50km before also doing 15 laps in Musanze to complete a total of 150.5km. After an oddly long wait, the 2019 Rwanda Cycling Cup finally kicked off a fortnight ago with the national championships where, in men’s elite category, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana claimed the road race while Joseph Areruya retained the Individual Time Trial (ITT) title. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
