Former international rider and Team Rwanda captain, Adrien Niyonshuti has said that he has no plan to continue the cycling projects that he was running in Rwanda. Niyonshuti has been dedicating his passion in raising young cyclists through Youthful Cycling Academy. The riders who joined the academy were offered basic education and cycling competencies in the races. In 2013, Niyonshuti decided to support a Rwandan Cycling Club through ‘Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy’, as a way of giving back to society through the sport. The club has the objective to professionalize cyclists and to make them participate in national, regional and international competitions. However, speaking to Times Sport, the veteran said that the initiative is no longer operating due to lack of sponsorship. “Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy will not remain intact to help children develop their cycling talent. We are not going to continue to scout riders because we don’t have sponsors and there are many factors that have made me stop the project,” explained Niyonshuti. The Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy used to receive support from the Friends of Rwandan Cycling from the United Kingdom after they were impressed by the story of the ‘Rising from Ashes’ documentary which talks about the growth journey of the national cycling team after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The aim of the centre was to help more young upcoming riders to learn cycling and push the game to the international scene. The riders benefited from a comprehensive cycling apprenticeship at the academy: training, nutrition, tactics (from watching videos) and mechanics. At the end of their training, they were able to focus on a professional career in cycling and sport or join Rwanda’s national team. Located in the Eastern Province town of Rwamagana, the academy targeted young riders aged between 16 and 18. In the first year, 15 boys and 8 girls were trained at the centre. But because of a lack of sponsors, the academy closed its doors. “I have tried my best to do what is good for cycling but I failed for many reasons which I cannot explain, so I have decided to stay with my family. When we started the project we got many young talented riders across Rwanda but we will not continue” Niyonshuti noted Also read: Rwandan Niyonshuti trains Benin team ahead of country’s biggest cycling race “We intended to raise the best promising athletes before increasing the number of beneficiaries but it is time to look after my family. Maybe one day I will return and start from where I stopped,” he added Also Read: Niyonshuti appointed Team Benin head coach ahead of La Tropicale Niyonshuti, a two-time Olympian and arguably one of the best cyclists the country has ever produced, was the Sports Director and head coach for Skol Adrien Cycling Academy (SACA). The team was founded after his cycling academy signed a partnership deal with SKOL until the local brewer terminated the deal in 2021. He tried to continue to run the academy but limited funds forced him to quit. He is now focused on his coaching career where he currently coaches Benin’s national cycling team.
