Kigali, Rwanda: Ten years ago, most Rwandans had never even seen a road bike. Today, Rwandan riders are signed to top European teams, including Dimension Data, Africa's first professional cycling outfit.
![Jean-Eric Habimana hangs his cycling kit on the line outside his house in Rwanda.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/o/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
Cycling is on the rise in the small central African country. Young talents dream of an international career with one ultimate goal: the Tour de France.
"When I was young, I used to run to the main road to see the cyclists pass by," says Jean-Eric Habimana, now 16 years old. "It seemed like they were one with their bikes."
![Jean-Eric's mother says she's very proud of him.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
Jean-Eric lives with his parents, two brothers and two sisters in a clay house on a mountainside in north Rwanda, close to the Congolese border. In the simple living room, he explains how it all started.
"I begged my parents to buy a transport bike to take our chicken to market."
It took a while to win them over, but eventually they gave in and bought Jean-Eric a heavy old bike. He pedalled the chickens to market early in the morning and trained on the bulky steal frame for hours after school.
Last year, his efforts paid off when he won a major amateur race in his village. Afterwards, Jean-Eric was recruited by a local club and got his first road bike.
![Team Rwanda hits the pristine road.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/u/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
"At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I had never even touched a road bike before," he beams just talking about it as his mother enters the room with a pan full of steaming sweet potatoes and pats his shoulder. "We are very proud of him," she says.
The cycling careers of fellow Rwandans Adrien Niyonshuti and Valens Ndayisenga started in a similar way. Niyonshuti was the first Rwandan rider to participate in the Olympics, and now rides for Dimension Data. Ndayisenga won the Tour de Rwanda twice and is now on the Austrian Tirol Cycling Team.
![Jean-Eric poses with with family outside their home](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/s/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
"These boys built houses for their families, and made sure that relatives can go to school," says Richard Mutabazi, deputy director of the Africa Rising Cycling Centre (ARCC), home of Rwanda's national team.
"But the impact reaches further than financial and economic improvement", says Mutabazi. He is well aware of the fact that the world associates Rwanda with genocide, the land where 800,000 people were killed in 1994.
![Jean-Eric Habimana pestered his parents for a bike to take chickens to the markets so he could learn cycle.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/m/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
"Now they see that Rwanda is more than that." He believes that cycling is transforming his country. "Ethnic differences don't matter. When Team Rwanda rides, the whole country cheers."
Meanwhile, Jean-Eric prepares for his afternoon session. He made it onto the junior Team Rwanda and takes his training very seriously.
![Team Rwanda riders leave the ARCC after training.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170729001811im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/x/f/u/p/p/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gxflcd.png/1500941455230.jpg)
"I want to be a professional cyclist and ride in the Tour de France," he says determined.
As we walk down the sandy path to the asphalt road, Jean-Eric is trailed by a line of children. Villagers stare. Donkey carts stop. His flashy clothes and shiny bike attract attention. Here, in Northern Rwanda, he already is a star.
With pristine paved roads, minimal traffic and beautiful mountains, Rwanda's terrain is perfect for cycling.Â
"Cycling is also part of our culture," Mutabazi says. "Bikes are used to bring products to the market." Growing up in the land of a thousand hills, it's no surprise that Rwandan cyclists are natural climbers. "They are light, recover fast, and train extremely hard," Boyer adds.
Gradually, the sport is gaining steam here. The country, population 13 million, now has eight local cycling clubs that send riders to the national team. And the Ministry of Sport has made cycling a top priority. President Paul Kagame himself financed the ARCC's new track. Import tax on bikes and parts has recently been reduced to 0 per cent.
The next morning, Jean-Eric is expected at the ARCC for a training camp. After a hearty breakfast of pancakes and eggs, he heads out with his team. I follow on the back of a motorbike. In the shadow of the Virunga volcanoes, his peloton glides across the stunning landscape, zipping past women with loads on their heads, herds of cattle, and children carting cans of water.
Jean-Eric is in the lead. Despite the cold, sweat drips from his brow.
"A few months ago he won three medals at his first international race in South Africa," says assistant coach Nathan Byukusenge later that day. "Now everybody knows him. He's young; he's got the world at his feet."
That evening, after a spaghetti dinner and a yoga session, the boys watch YouTube videos of the Tour de France. "I try to learn from them," Jean-Eric says.
"It is very likely that the Yellow Jersey will go to a Rwandan rider in the future," Boyer proudly predicts.
1 comment
New User? Sign up