Photo of the day - 23: World Cycling is going to Africa

 

Riders tackling the Mur de Kigali during this year's Tour of Rwanda

It isn't just in Belgium where you get a massive enthusiastic crowd on a cobbled climb. This is the "Mur de Kigali" one of the famous climbs ridden during this year's Tour de Rwanda. Africans definitely take their cycling seriously. The event has been run as a UCI event since 2009, with Africans making the top 10, though in recent times and notably this year more European teams have taken the start line and contested the top spots. Also, the Tour du Faso, in Burkina Faso is due to take place in October. This is another big cycle race on the African cycle racing calendar and that has been a UCI event since 2005, with ASO, organisers of the Tour de France, having assisted in the running of the event.

The great news for African cycling, though is that today the UCI announced that Rwanda will be the host of the 2025 World Road Cycling Championships. This will be the first time that such a prestigious event is taking place on the African continent. A delighted Aurore Mimosa Munyangu, Minister for Sport, said that "Rwanda will commit to delivering a memorable Road World Championships".

I think this is great news, and it can only be a positive thing for cycling in Africa. I look forward to seeing more cycling events taking place there, and who knows - I may even do a few myself.