Tour du Rwanda 2024: Riders to Watch

12 riders to look out for at the upcoming Tour du Rwanda

It’s time for Africa’s biggest race. The Tour du Rwanda is taking on ever increased significance as the 2025 World Championships in Kigali edge closer.

This year, the event will give us a first look at the World Championships time trial course in the opening stage, which will be a technical 18km team time trial around Kigali.

The route for this year’s race is easier than the previous edition, while simultaneously only providing one, maybe two, opportunities for the sprinters. The Tour du Rwanda always comes down to seconds between the favourites, but the TTT and ITT this year could create greater differences between the top riders.

As ever, there is a plethora of new and old names to get to grips with. For some, it’s their biggest opportunity of the year to make an impression and flaunt their talents to bigger teams, for others it’s a chance to get some hard early-season racing in the legs with bigger goals coming up.

There will be no daily highlights of the Tour du Rwanda this year, but it looks like there will be an hour-long highlights show available on Discovery+ in the UK on the 28th of February. Other territories may have different schedules.

The Tour du Rwanda is also significant for Global Peloton as this was the first race covered on this newsletter when it began a year ago. I wrote about that with an update on the future of Global Peloton earlier this week.

Here are twelve riders to look out for at the Tour du Rwanda over the next week.

Tsgabu Grmay

Not exactly an unknown rider, but I must start with him in his final race. You could Tsgabu Grmay him the father of Ethiopian cycling. He was the first one to do it, and on his shoulders stand Mulu Hailemichael, Eyeru Tesfoam, Hagos Welay, Negasi Abreha and many more to come.

Grmay has been training hard. It wasn’t out of physical ability that he had to retire, he just ran out of options. I think the 32-year-old will put on a great performance this week. Who knows? If he goes well enough, maybe that pro contract will materialise like it did recently for Odd Christian Eiking and Julien Vermote.

Riding as part of the UCI World Cycling Centre team, the TTT will be the problem for GC (remember that statement, I will be repeating it a few times), but a stage win is very possible.

Samuel Niyonkuru

Now onto some home riders. It’s a big year for the Rwandans. The riders are looking to make good impressions on their new national coach, Frenchman David Louvet, ahead of their home World Championships next season.

Niyonkuru has been on my radar since finishing on the podium in the junior race at the African Championships in 2021. Since then, he has steadily progressed in the shadow of others. This year he is looking ready to take steps forward himself.

Since 2021, Niyonkuru has had several chances to go to France to race national-level races, he’s also competed in some of the big African races and at the World Championships. The 20-year-old has recently linked up with Team Amani for gravel events which will give him more opportunities to compete with top-level riders. He also took a top-20 on the mountain stage of January’s Tour of Sharjah. The form is good, hopefully he can get into some breakaways in this race.

Eric Muhoza

After the Tour du Rwanda last season, things were looking very promising for Eric Muhoza. He had recently signed for the German Bike Aid team, and racing with the team at this race, he marginally lost his top-10 GC place on the last stage due to an untimely mechanical. It was an excellent performance. He looked like the rider that Rwanda could pin their 2025 hopes on.

Then he went to Europe with Bike Aid and managed to complete four stage races, including the Sibiu Tour and Tour de Limousin. It was a solid year, but the 22-year-old decided not to stay with the German squad for 2024.

Like Niyonkuru, Muhoza has signed for Team Amani to race on the gravel, but he also still has road ambitions. However, Muhoza was off the pace in the recent Tour of Sharjah, not featuring anywhere in the mountain stage. How is the form? Can he repeat his success from 2023? The TTT will mean he struggles with the GC, but perhaps he can get up there for a stage or two.

Merhawi Kudus

Another father of African cycling who had to drop out of the World Tour. Again, not through a weakening of the lower limbs (as we have already witnessed in his early season races), but because no team wanted to sign him.

Kudus is a former champion in Rwanda, back in 2019, but riding for the Eritrean national team the TTT will be the problem for GC this time around. This race is usually won by seconds and that team effort, as well is the individual TT will be crucial. I get the feeling that Soudal Quick-Step Devo Team are going to blow everyone away on the stage one team effort.

Dawit Yemane

In my humble opinion, Dawit Yemane is one of the most gifted climbers at continental level. He has put in some very impressive rides over recent seasons, including being one of the fastest up the fearsome Badabag climb at the Tour of Turkey last year. It was a shame he was in the second group coming onto the climb after it split on the previous descent.

He was good here too in 2023. Racing for the Bike Aid team, Yemane placed 7th overall. He could improve on that this year but this is his first race of the season so form is unknown.

Kiya Rogora

20-year-old Ethiopian Kiya Rogora was disappointed when the EF-Nippo Development team folded at the end of 2023, leaving him without a team. He will take a step back to race the Italian amateur scene this year, an advantage of his Italian passport. It’s a move that could really pay off, giving him more chances to race from the front, rather than hanging on in big races.

Rogora had a bad crash at the end of last season which meant he’s had a long break. This will be his first race since August. Expect him to take a bit of time before finding the race rhythm.

Come back for next week’s Global Peloton where we will get Rogora’s perspective from the Tour du Rwanda.

Yoel Habteab

19-year-old Habteab is an exciting new signing for Bike Aid. Very much in the mould of Girmay, Habteab is a fast sprinter who doesn’t mind a hill or two. Unfortunately, there aren’t too many sprint opportunities at this race, maybe just stage two. He'll hope to show his speed at some point during the eight stages.

Look out for Habteab as he moves to Europe in the spring. He could be excellent.

Hamza Amari

I’m told that Amari was disappointed to be dropped by the Q36.5 Continental Team after a strong 2023. The Swiss development team streamlined their African opportunities for this season - only two in the team down from five last year. Amari felt that his strong performances at the Tour de l’Avenir and elsewhere warranted an extension.

Instead the 21-year-old Algerian will ride for the new Algerian continental team Madar this year - alongside the likes of Yacine Hamza and Azzedine Lagab. He’s racing with the national team in Rwanda.

Amari is a rapid sprinter and decent over the hills. Those skills should bring about opportunities in this race. If he has the form, he can threaten for a stage. It would be fascinating to see him up against the likes of Itamar Einhorn and Manuel Peñalver.

Aklilu Arefayne

Of all the Eritrean prospects out there - and there are many - Aklilu Arefayne might be the best.

Arefayne was picked up by Wanty-ReUz-Technord (development team of Intermarché-Wanty) last year on the advice of Biniam Girmay. He started 2023 off with an excellent Tour du Rwanda before heading to Belgium. Arefayne had a number of promising results in Europe last season, including third at Eschborn-Frankfurt (U23).

The 19-year-old could be the surprise package of this year’s race. With Kudus, Metkel Eyob and Nahom Zerai as team-mates, the Eritrean squad should light up the roads of Rwanda. One of them will win a stage.

Christopher Rougier-Lagane

Rougier-Lagane has already started off his season strongly at the Tour of Sharjah. He’s a strong climber and will hope to get in the mix. Outside of the Worlds, this is the highest level road race Rougier-Lagane has taken part in, so it’s hard to say how he’ll do.

The team from Mauritius are one of the least experienced teams in the peloton in Rwanda. Getting up the road should be their priority.

Abdullah Jasim Al-Ali

Abdullah Jasim Al-Ali is the UAE’s first genuine prospect. I expected him to sign for the new UAE Team Emirates Gen Z squad after his performances last year in Europe, Asia and Africa.

The 21-year-old performed well at the recent Tour of Sharjah too, supporting Slovenian Gal Glivar to the overall title and placing 14th overall himself. It will be a similar arrangement in Rwanda as Glivar has a real chance at the podium.

Bizay Tesfu Redae

Bizay Tesfu Redae was a surprise signing for the Hagens Berman Jayco squad for 2024. After promising much as a junior, spending time with the UCI World Cycling Centre in Switzerland, Redae’s career looked to have been de-railed by the terrible war in his home region of Tigray in Ethiopia.

Redae reappeared last season at the African championships and then won the Ethiopian national championships ahead of Grmay and Hailemichael.

He looks set to head straight over to Europe after this, starting in Croatia. He has a quick sprint, as evidenced in the national championships. It’s going to be a tough race for the inexperienced Ethiopian squad, but Redae may be able to spring a surprise in the perfect conditions.

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