![]() ![]() After they met, he invited her to one of his other events here in Rwanda, the 140-kilometre Gorilla Gravel race. Where were the local grassroots races? The cycling clubs and informal mentors? The national cycling federation with clear routes into it, especially for women? Violette reflected on the lack of opportunities on the road, and that’s where her path crossed with the other race organiser, Simon. She started on the road five years ago and immediately found barriers to progression. I’ll start with Violette’s story, as it’s probably slightly more familiar. So, I sat down with two of the Rwandan riders, Dufitumukiza Mussa (Moses) and Neza Violette (Violette), to hear how they’d experienced the race. My ignorance meant I’d headed out to Rwanda with grand ideas of finding a story to tell, and it hadn’t even crossed my mind that the story might not be about me or my partner.Īfter spending five days riding the 1,000-kilometre route, though, I was clear about what stories I wanted to help share. ![]() Discovering the RaR entry by way of serendipity (if that’s the right word to describe the Instagram Explore algorithm) meant I’d not spent any time understanding what the race was about or the country’s culture, customs, and history. The idea of riding in East Africa was enough to pique my interest, but committing to riding it with a partner was the nudge I needed to make it to the starting line. I’d entered the Race Around Rwanda on a whim after seeing an Instagram post and finding someone to ride it as a pair with me. Their goals with the Race Around Rwanda (RaR) and the Rwanda Beyond programme is to help Rwandans get into the world of cycling and to build the cycling culture that’s one of the key ingredients to fostering and growing new talent. It’d be the last I’d see of them until the finish.īefore the police escort rolled out, Matt, one of the race organisers, reminded us why we were there. I exchanged excited words with the handful of people I’d met before and gave a gentle nod and smile to the Rwandan and Kenyan riders as we locked eyes. It looked like the other ultra races I’d been to, but this was my first time lining up to race myself. Just over 100 nervous riders lined up shoulder to shoulder on the concrete ramp of Maguru Bikes and Coffee, a sea of twinkling lights in the dark. Words by Tom Hardie, Dufitumukiza Mussa, and Neza Violette photos by Tom Hardie and Matt Grayson ![]()
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