Rwanda will this week host the international mountain bike race dubbed ‘Rwandan Epic’ slated for March 10-13. The second edition of the FERWACY-powered cycling event was expected to take place in 2021 but was postponed due to the covid-19 pandemic. The four-day race will take mountain bike riders from Kigali to Musanze and finally Rubavu, in 4 stages over technical trails, steep climbs and spectacular downhill. Cyclists from 12 different countries will participate in the second edition of the Rwandan Epic with UCI Masters World Champion and five-time winner Karl Platt looking forward to teaming up with Rwanda’s Pro Touch rider Jean Eric Habimana while his counterpart Samuel Mugisha is also among the riders to watch at the tournament. Besides, Rwandan teams will also be represented at the race and will face fierce competition from rival teams from South Africa, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany and Kenya. According to a press statement issued by the Cycling governing body (FERWACY), the first stage kicks off on Thursday, March 10 at Mount Kigali and will be raced in a time trial format before taking stage two to the northern Province the following day with a Marathon stage from Kinigi, exploring the trails of Burera District, before landing at Musanze Stadium. On March 12, riders will tackle the technical volcanic rocks of Kinigi. They will conclude the race on Sunday, March 13, with riders climbing some of the highest peaks of the Gishwati grasslands and diving down over narrow trails to Rubavu with a finish at Lake Kivu. The race classification consists of three categories with each of them to be raced in teams of two: male, female and mixed.
