Rwandan cycling legend Adrien Niyonshuti, now head coach of the Benin national cycling team, has set an ambitious goal to position Benin among Africa’s top three cycling nations by 2030. The 38-year-old, widely regarded as one of Rwanda’s greatest cycling talents, retired from professional racing in 2018. In 2022, he took up the role of national coach for Benin. Also read: Cycling has helped me cope with Genocide wounds – Adrien Niyonshuti In an interview with Times Sport, Niyonshuti talked about the progress made since his appointment. “I have only been here for three years now, but I can say that many things have changed. By 2030, Benin will be among the top three cycling nations in Africa,” he noted. He pointed at the country’s growing base of young riders and coaches whom he tips to contribute well to its cycling targets. Also read: Why Niyonshuti stopped all cycling projects in Rwanda “We train young riders who are in schools. About three per cent are in universities, five per cent are in secondary schools, while 15 percent are in primary schools,” he noted. Cycling is not new to Benin since the country has hosted a national cycling tour since 1992, though irregularly. It has also increased investment in the sport over the past six years. Also read: Niyonshuti: From the shadow of Genocide to Rwanda’s only pro cyclist During his professional career, Niyonshuti registered a number of achievements including winning Tour du Rwanda 2008 in addition to competing internationally from 2009 to 2017 with South African team Dimension Data. He is also the only Rwandan cyclist to have competed in two Olympic Games (London 2012 and Rio 2016).
