For the first time in the century-long history of the sport, the Road World Championships (RWC) will be happening in Africa. This will see the best cyclists across the world converge on Kigali, Rwanda from September 21 to 28, 2025 for the elite competition. The racing will not only be held in Kigali but will extend to several other picturesque locations around the country.
The RWC will include road races, time trials, and team time trials, with men’s and women’s categories across various age groups. Bikers will ride through some of Rwanda's most iconic landmarks, including the lush Nyungwe Forest, the serene shores of Lake Kivu, and the volcanic landscapes of the Virunga Mountains.
There is no better time than now for this cycling spectacle to happen in Africa considering international headlines consistently being made by riders from the continent. Ahead of the kick-off of the championships, younger generation of African riders are being given an opportunity and added motivation to compete and shine on the global stage.
The world cycling governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has been doing this through its World Cycling Centre (WCC) and the WCC Continental Development Satellite in Paarl, South Africa preparing the most talented for this significant Road World Championships with a dedicated Africa 2025 strategy. Another new feature at the 2025 UCI competitions is the introduction of separate races for Women Under-23 riders, unlike what was previously the case, where they were lumped with the women's elite race.
Rwanda an Ideal Host for Cycling Championships
Credit: BBC
Nicknamed the “land of a thousand hills”, this reality of Rwanda will provide veritable but challenging racing routes for Junior, Under 23 and Elite athletes as they contend for the prestigious rainbow jersey in seven months' time. The country's high altitude, with some areas reaching over 2,000 meters above sea level, will add an extra layer of difficulty, testing the riders' ability to cope with reduced oxygen levels.
Rwanda's unique topography in terms of undulating terrain, scenic landscapes, and growing cycling culture make the country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa highly recommended to host the RWC. The steep hills, narrow roads, and breathtaking scenery, will create an exciting and challenging course for both the professional cyclists and spectators. The riders will have to navigate through challenging climbs and sharp descents, pushing their endurance and skills to the limit.
The country has hosted various international cycling events, including the Tour du Rwanda, which has been running annually since inception in 1988. It began as a local event and gained UCI recognition in 2009. This and other events have attracted the attention of the global cycling community, and during the 190th UCI Congress in September 2021, Rwanda was awarded the opportunity to host the prestigious Road World Championships.
Reports have it that the tensions in the border region between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are causing major concerns for the UCI. The cycling federation was rumoured to be working on a contingency plan of moving the race to Switzerland if the African edition was kiboshed. But when the European Parliament passed a motion calling for the RWC to be cancelled “if Rwanda does not change course” as regards its conflict with the neighbouring Congo, UCI insisted that there is no Plan B.
The DR Congo and the United Nations have accused Rwanda of backing the M23 - an alleged alliance that has been consistently denied by both the Rwandan government and the M23 leadership. At least 8,500 people have been killed since fighting escalated in January, according to the Congolese authorities.
Hundreds of thousands have also been forced from their homes owing to the chaos triggered by the fighting. Security concerns have heightened calls for the Road World Championships to be moved or hosted elsewhere.
Upon realising that the route for this year’s Tour du Rwanda is within 20 kilometres of Goma and Bukavu, cities which have been captured by the M23 rebel group in the last five weeks, Belgian team Soudal Quick-Step withdrew even before the Tour began. Despite this setback, the best-organised cycling event on the continent went on successfully.
This year's race had seven stages. Stage three ended in Rubavu, just across the border from Goma, and stage five started in Rusizi, which is next to Bukavu. The drama was only on the seventh and final stage where bad weather forced a cancellation of the race with just over 13 kilometers (eight miles) left.
Not Enough to Deny Rwanda its Moment in the Sun
The founder and owner of Bike Aid, Matthias Schnapka, has spoken up on the need for the 2025 Road World Championships to proceed in Rwanda irrespective of safety concerns. The German cyclist cited how the bubble of professional sports often keeps athletes shielded from much of the real world.
"We're always cycling in dangerous places. In 2014, we were in Kyiv three weeks after the Maidan Uprising. I'm not being reckless when I say this, but the reality of a country on the streets is almost always contrary to the media portrayal
"The impression you get from a place is often only through one report, but you can't forget this is just one small representation of a huge country where millions of people live and thousands of things are happening every day," Schnapka told DW.
The German, who isn't worried about organisation either given the success of Tour du Rwanda, continued, "Which country can say it is free of conflict? It is easy to make accusations of corruption, human rights problems or sportswashing about a country so far away from us. But you should also take the trouble to look more deeply into the circumstances and background, which are usually more complex.
"You should definitely assess it, but also consider who has the right to judge others? If a country has carried out human rights violations, then it should be punished, but the origin of all of that should also be inspected and if that lies in colonial times or our hunger for raw materials then we need to assess our role in all of that as well,” he added.
With the UCI saying in January that "Rwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business" and cyclists who participated in the just-concluded Tour du Rwanda disclosing that they "felt safe" despite fears over this year's race, Sportblot hopes that the situation can only improve by September when the Road World Championships (RWC) is due. Not just Rwandans but the entire the Africa will be greatly demoralised if the tournament is taken elsewhere. This won’t be good for the trajectory of the sport that is already catching on, on the continent.
