Nearly 50 young African cyclists took to the roads of Rwanda at the beginning of August in a new three-day race dedicated to Junior riders.
The aim of the Rwanda Junior Tour, organised by the Rwanda Cycling Federation (Ferwacy), is to identify young talents and help prepare them for their future cycling careers. The Tour was developed as part of the UCI World Cycling Centre’s (WCC) wider Africa 2025 project ahead of the UCI Road World Championships taking place in Kigali, Rwanda, next year.
It is envisaged to develop the Rwanda Junior Tour in years to come, leaving a legacy from the Africa 2025 project and the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
For its first edition, 47 Juniors from 12 teams raced an 81km opening stage from Kigali to Rwamagana on 1st August. The following day they tackled a 4.6km individual time trial (ITT), before completing the Rwanda Junior Tour on 3 August with a 79.5km stage back to Kigali.
As well as a yellow jersey for the overall leader (Shadrake Ufitimana), special jerseys were awarded to the best climber, best sprinter and stage winners.
On the day of the ITT in Rwamagana, a town-centre criterium (laps of a 1.9km circuit) was organised for women in the Elite, Under 23, Junior and Cadet categories.
The Rwanda Junior Tour was also a training opportunity for officials who will be working at the 2025 UCI Road World Championships. UCI International Commissaire Sven Calus (BEL) shadowed the National Commissaires during the three stages, while the event was also a chance to test the recently-purchased timing system and conduct in-person training for those using it.
UCI WCC Director Jacques Landry said: “This race is a direct result of the UCI WCC’s presence in Rwanda and our focus on developing the young generation of riders coming through. We hope the Rwanda Junior Tour will eventually grow into an international event, which would be a first for Africa in terms of Junior racing.”