AFTER the failure by the home riders in the just concluded 2012 Tour du Rwanda, the Rwanda Cycling Federation (Ferwacy) has pledged to turn focus on promoting young riders ahead of the 2013 edition and other future competitions.
According to the federation chairman Aimable Bayingana, plans are already underway to start preparing for the next Tour du Rwanda and among other competitions where the country will be seeking to do well next year.
No Rwandan riders has ever won Tour du Rwanda since it was included on the International Cycling Union calendar in 2009, and the subsequent appearances have given no sign that the trend is about to change anytime soon.
He said, "We have started to work on youth programmes, as we want to have best riders to prepare for the future."
"We all know where the problem lies so we need to start with youth programmes and by mid next year, we want to have enough riders to pick from to compete at the international level, Bayingana told Times Sport at the close of this year's Tour du Rwanda on Sunday.
He added, "We are going to put everything together to make sure no stone is left unturned when preparing not only for the next Tour du Rwanda but also other international competitions."
Only Adrien Niyonshuti finished in the top ten, coming in 9th position. The MTN Qubeka rider won the Blue Jersey for being the top Rwandan rider in the competition.
He used 22h54'14" to finish 10 minutes and 33 seconds behind Team South Africa tour winner Lill Daren rider, who clocked 22h43'41" over the 894.8km cycling race that spanned eight stages.
Past winners
Since was added on UCI calendar
- 2009: Adil Jelloul (Morocco)
- 2010: Daniel Teklehaimanot (Eritrea)
- 2011: Kiel Reijnen (USA)
-2012: Lill Daren (South Africa)
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