The UCI World Cycling Centre (WCC) officially inaugurated its UCI WCC Regional Development Satellite in Rwanda this week.
The ceremony took place at the Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, shortly before the start of the Tour du Rwanda prologue in the Rwandan capital. The latest UCI WCC satellite joins a worldwide network that now comprises nine Continental Development Satellites and two Regional Development Satellites.
It is the second satellite on the African Continent after the UCI WCC Continental Development Satellite in Paarl, South Africa, run successfully by Jean-Pierre “JP” van Zyl for many years. JP is credited with having worked with almost all African riders who have made it to the World Tour and Pro Continental levels in the last decade or more (you can read more about JP, Jacques Landry (overall Director of WCC) in this recent piece put out by the WCC/UCI talking about their Africa 2025 strategy.
The satellite in Rwanda will operate out of three sites, all of which already host training activities: Musanze, Bugesera and Rwamagana. The first two include athlete and staff accommodation as well as classrooms for theory sessions. Although emphasis will be on the road discipline across the three sites, the Bugesera facility has a pump track in addition to its 1.2km racing circuit.
The nine Continental Development Satellites are in Anadia (Portugal), Bromont (Canada), Cambridge (New Zealand), Couva (Trinidad and Tobago), Lima (Peru), New Delhi (India), Paarl (South Africa), Shanghai (China) and Yeongju (Korea). The other Regional Development Satellite is situated in Shuzenji (Japan).
The satellites work closely with the UCI WCC – the training and education centre of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), based in Aigle, Switzerland – to develop cycling in all regions of the world. As well as providing training opportunities to talented cyclists, the satellites’ education programmes help ensure that the athletes’ entourage – for example coaches and mechanics – have the qualifications necessary to guide them to the highest possible level.
UCI President David Lappartient, who was in Kigali for the official launch, said:
“This is a very significant time for African cycling, as Rwanda prepares to host the first UCI Road World Championships to be held on the African continent. I am sure that this event in Kigali in September will reveal some exciting African talent. Building on this momentum, Rwanda now has a UCI WCC Regional Development Satellite that will help further develop cycling in Africa. African cyclists have made international cycling headlines in recent years, not least Daniel Teklehaimanot, Merhawi Kudus and Biniam Girmay, who all came through the UCI World Cycling Centre system. I look forward to seeing more great athletes emerge thanks to the implication of the UCI WCC Satellite in Rwanda.”
President of the Fédération Rwandaise de Cyclisme (FERWACY) Samson Ndayishimiye said:
As President of Rwanda’s National Cycling Federation, I am delighted by the part our country will play in the development of cyclists from Africa, who are able to enter Rwanda simply and free of charge. Not all National Federations have the resources necessary to help their athletes realise their full potential, and that is where Rwanda’s UCI WCC Regional Development Satellite will provide significant assistance. We look forward to welcoming the next generation of African cyclists and giving them a boost towards their Elite cycling careers!”
More information on the World Cycling Centre can be found on the UCI website HERE.
