Cycling: A second chance for Rwanda
15 years after the Rwandan genocide, the Tour of Rwanda showed the world just how far the country's come. Procycling travelled there to see how cycling is giving so many a new lease of life
In the morning of the 19 November, Obed Ruvogera's expression registered only a hint of resignation as he was caught and then passed by the peloton. Yet just five minutes before that moment, he'd been riding out on his own at the front of his national tour, midway through the fourth stage that ran between Kibuye and Butare.
His attack failed due, in part, to a minor mechanical fault, his troubles beginning when he felt his right pedal coming loose on a descent. A basic Allen key could have fixed the problem but the neutral service car had neither the right tool nor a qualified mechanic on board. That led to Ruvogera being caught – first by a counter-attack and then by the peloton. Displaying disarming patience, he simply waited for his team to come and rescue him.
Even without the fault, a stage win was hardly a certainty for Ruvogera. The Moroccan national team, whose lack of results in recent months hadn't escaped their king's disgruntled attention, swept all before them in Rwanda. In the end, they took six stage wins out of eight and held five of the top six GC spots. What Ruvogera demonstrated, however, was the panache of the Rwandan riders, sending thousands of roadside fans into raptures.
