Team Amani riders and others to channel thrill of racing against cycling’s top stars: ‘The future is bright’
The Rwandan team prior to the elite men’s road race at cycling’s world championships on Sunday September 28, 2025 in Kigali, Rwanda. (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Published October 1, 2025 10:15PM
Rainbow jerseys weren’t a possibility for them at this year’s world championships but for three young riders from Rwanda, contesting the races in Kigali was already a huge win.
Being able to line out in the world’s biggest one day races on home soil was the stuff of dreams for African riders Xaverine Nirere, Eric Muhoza and Samuel Niyonkuru, and something that will spur them on for the years ahead.
For them and others, it was a real pinch-me moment to see the top professionals training and racing in Rwanda.
Hosting the first ever road championships in Africa will, they hope, be a major catalyst for future success.
“It feels unbelievable,” Muhoza told Velo, speaking after the time trials and in advance of the road race. “At first, I couldn’t believe Rwanda was really hosting such a huge event. But once it happened, it was emotional.
“Seeing riders like Pogačar and Evenepoel, people I only knew from TV, right here in Rwanda, was amazing. Racing with them in my own country will be very special.”
Multiple photos and videos have emerged from Kigali showing many of the world’s biggest stars training with in Rwandan surroundings. Other riders who will compete in the championships have been able to share the roads with them. So too have everyday people, who have displayed considerable drive in trying to keep up with the professionals.
There is also touching footage of Remco Evenepoel handing out bottles to local children, who are overjoyed by the gesture.
It’s easy to imagine the knock-on effects of such exposure, with the next generation being very visibly inspired by the stars.
Nirere is similarly boosted by the experience of the championships. She competed in the elite time trial and road race, and was blown away by what she felt.
“It was like a dream. To stand on the start line, with the UCI logo, the cameras, and the crowd, it felt like the first time I ever won a race,” she said.
“It was emotional and unforgettable.
“For me, it showed that choosing cycling was worth it.”
Early trailblazers lift a country shaken by genocide
Xaverine Nirere (Team Rwanda, l) with Romina Hinojosa (Mexico) during the elite women’s road race. (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
Taking up the sport was far from a given for these and other riders from Africa.
It’s a long, long way from the cycling heartland of Europe and while those such as Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay, former Rwandan pro Adrien Niyonshuti and the retired Eritrean Daniel Teklehaimanot are examples of black riders who have competed within the professional peloton, role models are few and far between.
Those who have already chosen the sport have many different reasons for doing so.
For Nirere, her brother Valens Ndayisenga was an inspiration. Twice winner of the Tour de Rwanda, he competed with the Dimension Data for Qhubeka and Tirol Cycling Team continental squads. He retired in 2019, which made things more difficult for her as they used to train together.
However he has continued to give her plenty of encouragement since then and also bought her the equipment she needed to keep building.
“I think he is very proud of me,” Nirere said.
Muhoza also has a direct family link to the sport, with his cousin being the former professional Niyonshuti. The multiple national champion raced MTN Qhubeka/Team Dimension Data squad for many years.
“He inspired me a lot,” Muhoza said of him. “When you grow up watching someone like him compete at the highest level, you want to follow in his footsteps.
“My brother tried to become a professional rider, though he didn’t make it.
“My father was also a cyclist. He raced in Africa before the genocide, but he passed away when I was only one year old. I never knew him, but people tell me he was very strong on the bike.
“Sometimes when I win races, neighbors say, “You ride like your father – but he was even stronger.” That pushes me to keep going.”
The Rwandan genocide was one of the most horrific events in recent decades. It took place in 1994 when groups of Hutu extremists murdered an estimated 800,000 people over 100 days.
Former pro Niyonshuti was directly affected, losing six of his brothers.
He threw himself into the sport to try to cope, and spent several seasons racing in Europe.
Muhoza’s own loss happened following the genocide rather than as a cause of it, but he too is driven by the absence of a close family member.
His mother raised his family alone and told him for many years that his father was still alive in order to stop him being crushed by his passing.
“She told me my father had gone away to work and would return, just to protect me from the truth,” he said. “Later, when I was older – around 15 or 17 – I had to accept that he had passed away. That was a very difficult time.
“My mother doesn’t like to talk about it much, but people around us say my father would be proud. I think so too.
“To carry on his legacy means a lot to me.”
Overcoming headwinds
Samuel Niyonkuru (Rwanda) was 50th out of 118 starters in the under 23 men’s road race (Photo: Wango Alfred)
Life in places like Rwanda is, for many, much tougher than for those growing up in Europe. High poverty rates, conflict, political instability and other challenging factors exist. And for those wishing to take up a sport such as cycling, expense is obviously a big barrier.
So too the lack of the same pathways that those in more traditional cycling nations can avail of.
It consequently takes a huge amount of determination and commitment to become a strong rider. For this reason Niyonshuti set up an academy to help those trying to break through.
Niyonkuru is one of those who benefited from that project.
“I started cycling in 2018,” the 22 year old told Velo. “In my village I used to see cyclists riding past every day, and one day I decided to join them. At first, I went with my own small bike but later I became part of Adrien Niyonshuti’s Academy and started training every weekend after school.”
He singles out not having a proper bike as the most difficult aspect early on. When Niyonkuru started he had a single speed Black Mamba bike, putting him at a significant disadvantage to other riders who had proper racing machines.
Niyonshuti’s academy would later give him better equipment, but he was able to remain psyched about the sport before then despite that hurdle.
“My motivation came from racing. Even with the single-speed bike, I was able to win some small races,” he explained. “That showed me I could achieve more, and it pushed me to keep working hard.”
He went on to finish third in the junior road race at the African Continental championship in 2021 and rode solidly in the Tour du Rwanda one year later.
‘Cycling was my calling’
Xaverine Nirere (r) and Claudette Nyirarukundo helped the Rwandan team to 11th in the mixed relay TTT (Photo: Wango Alfred)
For Nirere, she had a very different headwind in the early days of her career.
“In Rwanda, many people thought I was ‘crazy’ for cycling. That perception is the biggest challenge I’ve overcome,” the 23 year old said.
“The expectation was that women should stay at home, look after the family, and not pursue something like sport. That mindset made things very difficult.
“On top of that, when I decided to leave school to focus on cycling, many of my friends didn’t agree with my choice. Even some family members said I was taking the wrong path.”
Nirere’s mother was one of those opposed to her ending her studies. Her father and brother were more in line with her decision, telling her to do what she loves.
What prompted her choice in the first place was the opportunity to race with Team Amani.
The Amani project was set up in East Africa by the late Sule Kangangi, who was tragically killed in a crash in the Overland Gravel Race in Vermot in 2022, plus the international criminal lawyer Mikel Delagrange.
Delagrange is an American is based in Geneva and specializes in human rights.
He spent a lot of time in Kenya, Uganda and the Congo due to his work, which sees him help war crimes victims bring their perpetrators to trial.
Delagrange is also a big cycling fan, and co-founded the team with Kangangi aiming to boost diversity within the sport and to increase the numbers of those from under-represented nations.
Nirere was one of those whom the team was interested in. However the racing schedule clashed with school and she took the difficult decision to put her studies aside, at least for now.
“I felt cycling was my calling,” she said.
She has since gone on to become national champion in road and gravel racing and last month won the 2.2 Pupkewitz Megabuild Windhoek Women’s Tour by almost ten minutes. She also finished second overall in the Migration Gravel Race.
From being someone who some tried to dissuade from racing, she has now become a role model for young female cyclists in Rwanda and Africa.
Those cyclists will be further inspired by the world championships taking place there last week.
Tour de France and WorldTour status: an eight year plan
Eric Muhoza (left) and Rwanda teammate Eric Manizabayo (R) pictured at last year’s Tour du Rwanda (Photo: Guillem Sartorio / AFP)
Team Amani has also proved very important to Muhoza and Niyonkuru, who say it has greatly helped their careers.
“Before, I had nothing and my talent might have gone to waste,” Niyonkuru explained.
“But now, with the support of Team Amani, I have good equipment, good nutrition, and proper training. I am very grateful. There are so many talented riders in Africa, in villages just waiting to be spotted.”
He calls for more support for organizations like Amani and Adrien’s Academy, pointing out that they are vital to help discover riders and to provide opportunities.
As things stand Team Amani has the backing of a range of big partners, including Rapha, Poc, Factor, SRAM, Wahoo and others.
Its goals include bringing more races to Africa in order to boost the scene there and to enable the riders to develop and thrive. As part of that, Delagrange was heavily involved in setting up the Migration Gravel Race, which attracts world-class competition to Kenya.
Competition abroad is similarly important, with Amani riders competing at events such as Unbound Gravel, Badlands, the UCI Gravel World Championships, and the Cape Epic MTB stage race.
So what of the future?
The team plans to keep building the level of events its riders compete in. Major goals have been listed for the ambitious project.
It wants to be consistently winning big gravel races within four years, to have a women’s WorldTour team within six years. And, within eight years, to have a Pro Continental men’s team riding the Tour de France.
It also wants to challenge what it terms the Eurocentric status quo in the sport, and to transform how the cycling world views Africa.
The Rwanda worlds will help with those preconceptions, even if a lot of work lies ahead.
Counting the benefits of Rwandan worlds and big role models
Isaac Del Toro (Mexico) and Tadej Pogacar (Slovenia) race past many African spectators on the Mur de Kigali during the elite men’s road race (Photo: Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)
The dust is now settling after a joyous and very successful hosting of the world championships in Kigali. The UCI, Team Amani and others will hope that the nine days of racing will add momentum to the development of the sport in Africa.
So too will Nirere, Muhoza and Niyonkuru.
The latter is very upbeat about the experience and the likely after-effects.
“It was amazing. It made me very proud to represent my country in Rwanda, in Africa, at the world championships.
“I was so happy to see the biggest riders in the world here in my home country. I think the future is bright. Hosting the world championships here gave us motivation and belief. Many African riders now know it is possible to reach the highest level.
“With more support, I believe we will see many more Africans in the biggest races.”
Muhoza echoes that, and points out that there are currently positive signs that African riders can make a big impact.
“We already have role models like Biniam Girmay. When he won a stage at the Tour de France, it showed the whole world that Africans can not only finish races, but also win them,” he said.
“Before, people used to say it was a success just for an African to finish a Grand Tour. But now, thanks to riders like Biniam, we know we can aim higher.”
Thanks to Xylon van Eyck for his assistance with this article.