RWANDA has received a vote of confidence from UCI president David Lappartient in the bid to host the 2025 World Road Championships, Times Sport has learnt. And, according to reports, the odds are in favour of Rwanda to host the 98th edition of the world’s biggest cycling event in 2025. World Road Championships are the annual championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and team time trials as of 2012. The New Times understands that Morocco is the other African country bidding to host the event. Speaking to Times Sport earlier this year following his reelection for a third term as the local cycling governing body (Ferwacy) president, Aimable Bayingana said that bidding for the 2025 world championships was one of his priorities in his 2018-2021 mandate. UCI president David Lappartient was the first to announce during his presidential campaign last year that the 2025 UCI edition would be hosted by an African nation. This would the first time Africa has stated the world road championships. In an interview with this publication on Wednesday, Emmanuel Murenzi, the Ferwacy Permanent Secretary, said that Rwanda has what it takes to successfully host the 2025 UCI World Road Championships, and we are going for it.” He further noted, “We have already expressed interest to host the event, which will be followed by an official bid. The deadline is September 2019.” And, Lappartient, who was in Rwanda in August at the start of this year’s Tour du Rwanda, was quoted by Italian newspaper La Gazzetta on Tuesday backing Rwanda’s bid. “Rwanda is in pole position, they are set to organise a 2.1 Tour du Rwanda in 2019 as well,” said Lappartient. Tour du Rwanda – an annual UCI Africa Tour race – will next year be upgraded to a UCI 2.1 race from 2.2 category. The competition has been a 2.2 race since becoming international contest in 2009. “Rwanda and Morocco are the two candidates, the decision will be taken during the 2019 World Cycling Championship in Yorkshire, UK, six years before the event to give the chosen candidate time to prepare,” Lappartient is quoted as saying. The 2019 UCI Road World Championships are scheduled for September 22-29 in Harrogate, Yorkshire. It will be its 92nd edition overall and the fourth championships to be held in the United Kingdom. editorial@newtimes.co.rw
