Rwanda Reflections
#HenoktotheGiro + Asia Tour problems, WCC Team, Vuelta Independencia
Welcome to Global Peloton!
What an incredible week of racing at the Tour du Rwanda. I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited now for the 2025 Worlds. There’s no doubt that it will be a great spectacle. Hopefully it also delivers a legacy for cycling development in Africa.
Lots going on this week with the ‘opening weekend’ - which is not a term that I like. There’s also been racing in Central and South America and some news on the UCI Asia Tour.
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Dan
Tour du Rwanda
Well, I’d much rather have watched the Tour du Rwanda live last week than the UAE Tour. The racing looked incredible. If you’ve not caught the highlights on GCN yet, you must!
The race was won by African Champion, Henok Mulubrhan. Henok took the race lead after winning stage three, lost the lead and dropped as low as 10th by stage five and then roared to the win on the final two brutal days.
Mulubrhan overcame challenges from Walter Calzoni, William Junior Lecerf and Victor de la Parte to win a fourth Tour du Rwanda for Eritrea in the past five editions.
With Mulubrhan beginning the season so strongly, it would be great to see him lining up at the Giro d’Italia. He’s undoubtedly one of Green Project’s strongest riders and may be their best chance at picking up a result in May.
The one issue I see is that in all its iterations over the years, this team has never taken a non-Italian to the Giro. Even though he clearly has more than enough talent, Mulubrhan will have to fight hard for his place.
I hereby launch a campaign for #HenoktotheGiro. Will you join me?
Africans Rising
Last week I identified three riders to look our for in Rwanda: Eric Muhoza, Aklilu Arefayne and Samuel Niyonkuru.
Muhoza was the stand-out Rwandan rider over the week. He was sitting sixth on GC coming into the last stage before a mechanical issue knocked him out of contention. Muhoza eventually finished the stage 8:22 down on the winner and 14th on GC.
The young Rwandan rode consistently all week and has gained well-deserved recognition. Soon he will head to Europe and will look to build his experience in higher-level races with Bike Aid.
A very early prediction: Muhoza will be on the podium in Tour of Rwanda 2024.
Have a look at this article from my friends at Team Africa Rising for the back-story on Muhoza.
Another rider I pointed out last week was Aklilu Arefayne. The 18-year-old Eritrean was one of the most attacking riders in the race, often being one of the last men standing from breakaways. Arefayne finished second in both the sprints and mountain classifications and was eighth on stage seven.
We’ve rarely seen an African rider so good at such a young age, maybe only once before. Watch out for him in Europe this year with the Circus-ReUz-Technord team. I’ll certainly be keeping you updated.
The final rider mentioned last week was Samuel Niyonkuru. The Rwandan is probably a step or two behind Muhoza and Arefayne. He’s not ready yet to compete for results in these races, but he is progressing nicely.
The 19-year-old finished 21st on GC after a steady race. I hope he can secure a European summer of racing to get some experience - we’ve seen this week how that has aided Muhoza’s development.
Last week, South African Callum Ormiston told us that his target was to win a stage. On stage five, he delivered.
Ormiston put on an incredible performance to take the queen stage, attacking on the final hill and staying away until the end. We’ll see him next at the Tour of Taiwan in a few weeks.
Rwandan Cycling
A great race, no doubt about it. But what does it mean for Rwandan cycling?
Aside from Muhoza, we’ve seen zero progress on the road for the men in the past few years. The federation does not invest in cycling development. Muhoza and Niyonkuru both came from the Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy, which has recently closed its doors. The federation will also be in search of a new coach after Felix Sempoma leaves this year.
The Worlds in Rwanda in 2025 will be an incredible event. But will it produce or identify top Rwandan talent? Not on the current trajectory.
The WCC Team Begins its Season
The UCI World Cycling Centre women’s team was involved in the Omloop van het Hageland and Le Samyn des Dames over the past few days.
The team contains a number of promising riders who require a bit of extra support to find a successful pathway into the pro peloton. Many of the riders are switching sports or are from lesser represented nations.
The rider I am most intrigued by on the team is Ethiopian Selam Amha Gerefiel. She had a number of top results last season and will hope to secure a contract with a big team this year.
Vuelta Independencia
The Vuelta Independencia in the Dominican Republic is probably the biggest and most historic non-UCI race in the Caribbean. In 2002 and 2004, it was even won by a future monument winner. Ten points if you can tell me who that was without looking it up.
The race was won this year by 28-year-old Venezuelan, Luis Mora. He was hotly pursued by five-time winner and home rider, Nelson Ismael Sanchez. Sanchez won two stages before his entire team pulled out the morning of the final stage.
There were a number of other notable talents at the race, including Mexican Edgar Cadena.
Cadena could be a rider with a big future. He was rumoured to be signing for Movistar over the winter after winning the mountain-top finish at the Vuelta a Colombia in 2022. Cadena will be based with a Spanish amateur team again this season. Hopefully he can secure a pro contract with some more impressive results. The 22-year-old finished the race 5th on GC.
Another notable rider is Christopher Morales of Puerto Rico. He claimed three top-10s including a podium on the mountainous stage five. This is a marked improvement on last year.
Caribbean cycling is developing quickly. There are more races and deeper fields at these races than ever before. Expect to see more follow in the pedal strokes of the likes of Arlenis Sierra, Teniel Campbell and Abner Gonzalez.
Jelajah Malaysia
Some unfortunate news this week is that Jelajah Malysia has been postponed due to financial issues. The race was due to have happened over the weekend. Organisers hope to run the race in May instead.
The Asia Tour has been hit hard over the past three years since COVID hit. It’s been much slower to re-open, especially in the east which used to have a booming race programme and dozens of active continental teams. Most of those teams are still racing, but mostly at non-UCI races.
All of this may result in the nucleus of the Asia Tour shifting west. As races in Malaysia, China and Thailand decline, we’ve seen new races birthed in the Middle East.
The problem is that there isn’t the depth of talent further west in the same way as there is elsewhere. Most of the races are being contested by riders from outside of the countries they are being held in, which makes them more expensive.
Hopefully these races will strengthen the talent in the Middle East and we’ll see that imbalance addressed. The future of the Asia Tour may depend on it.
Under the Radar
We’re heading to Uruguay for this week’s Under the Radar.
Thomas Silva recently won both the under-23 road race and TT at the Uruguay national championships. This year he will race for Caja-Rural Alea, the development team of Caja Rural-Seguros RGA.
Last season, Silva took three wins in Europe, including the overall at the Vuelta a Hispania.
Silva made his debut for the team at the weekend, finishing an excellent sixth-place in Circuito del Guadiana. This race was previously won by Gleb Syritsa and Gonzalo Serrano. It’s a good potential indicator for tough sprinters and puncheurs.
Caja-Rural Alea had three riders promoted to the pro squad last season. Silva will hope that a big year in 2023 will see him progress in the same way.
Have a look at Silva’s First Cycling profile and at the post below to see his beautiful Uruguayan u23 champion jersey.
Other News
The 11-day Rutas de America finished on Sunday. The race was won by Alan Matias Presa.
In Argentina, the Vuelta de Mendoza also concluded on Sunday. The winner was Nicolas Paredes. Bolivian rider Wilber Rodriguez Rodriguez finished impressively in second.
Uruguayan Eric Fagundez made his debut for Burgos BH at Gran Camiño. Fagundez spent the day in the break on the abandoned first stage.
Burkina Faso’s Awa Bamogo continued her impressive form from the African Continental Championships - where she qualified for the Worlds and Olympics with a second place finish - by winning GP 14-Ouagadougou, a local race in Burkina Faso
The Vuelta a Cuba Oriental was won by 17-year-old Carlos Montes De Oca. There were two 18-year-olds on the podium with him, Jose Dominguez and Randol Izquierdo. This is a senior race. Cuba might be worth keeping an eye on in the coming years.
New South African champion Travis Stedman opened his European season with 10th place in Firenze - Empoli.
Thanks for reading! I’ll be back next Tuesday.
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Dan