{"id":163175,"date":"2025-09-23T06:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T06:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/163175\/"},"modified":"2025-09-23T06:40:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T06:40:09","slug":"the-politics-and-safety-concerns-overshadowing-rwandas-first-cycling-world-championships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/163175\/","title":{"rendered":"The politics and safety concerns overshadowing Rwanda\u2019s first Cycling World Championships"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a Vuelta a Espana<\/a> which made headlines more for disruptive protests than any sporting drama<\/a>, most within cycling would have opted for a low-key World Championships<\/a> in a venue devoid of political significance. But politics are once again hard to ignore with the sport\u2019s most prestigious event held in Africa for the first time in its 104-year history.<\/p>\n

The decision to reward Rwanda<\/a> with hosting rights will shine a spotlight on the growing depth of cycling on the continent and, it is hoped, provide inspiration to younger generations looking to follow in the footsteps of groundbreaking African riders including Daniel Teklehaimanot and Biniam Girmay.<\/p>\n

But the build-up to the event has been overshadowed by sportswashing concerns around repression and human rights abuses.<\/p>\n

Authoritarian regimes and cycling in the 21st century seem to go hand in hand, with Amnesty International warning of \u201cenforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, excessive use of force, unfair trials and restrictions on the right to freedom of expression\u201d under Paul Kagame, who has ruled the country officially since 2000 and as de facto leader since the end of the Rwandan genocide in 1994.<\/p>\n

Those concerns have been brushed aside by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI<\/a>), cycling\u2019s governing body, whose president David Lappartient vowed to bring the World Championships to Africa when he was elected in 2017. Other worries over Rwanda\u2019s involvement in the civil war in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo have also been swept under the carpet. Rwanda denies backing the rebel group M23 in the conflict, although Human Rights Watch say it is \u201cnot up for debate\u201d. <\/a><\/p>\n

Human rights organisations allege that war crimes including torture and forced deportations have been carried out during the conflict, with the DRC government saying around 7,000 people have been killed since January.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The UCI has dismissed concerns over Rwanda’s human rights record ahead of the championships (AP)<\/p>\n

The UCI reacted to the conflict with a statement in January saying it was \u201cclosely monitoring developments\u201d in the region but that \u201cRwanda remains entirely safe for tourism and business,\u201d adding that it \u201cwishes to emphasise that sport, and cycling in particular, are powerful ambassadors for peace, friendship, and solidarity\u201d. There were more words to that effect in its recent statement against the \u201cexploitation\u201d of the sport for political gain<\/a>, issued after the demonstrations at the Vuelta, but it feels rather hollow as the riders take to the streets of Kigali.<\/p>\n

The sport\u2019s relationship to political affairs is not the only issue under the spotlight in Rwanda. Several riders from multiple teams have expressed concerns over safety following the protests aimed at the Israel Premier-Tech team at the Vuelta.<\/p>\n

Israel Premier-Tech have invested heavily in African cycling, most obviously in the \u2018Field of Dreams\u2019 cycling centre in Bugasera, a project designed \u201cto help nurture the next generation of Rwandan cyclists\u201d. Their riders may expect a warmer reception in Kigali than they did in the Basque Country, but the issues that have increasingly taken centre stage in cycling are unlikely to go away.<\/p>\n

\"Pro-Palestine<\/p>\n

Pro-Palestine protests disrupted the recent Vuelta a Espana (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n

One of those is rider safety. This year\u2019s World Championships are the first since the death of 18-year-old Muriel Furrer <\/a>sent shockwaves through the sport in Zurich last year. The young Swiss rider died as a result of injuries sustained in a crash in the junior road race, and lay unnoticed at the side of the road for some time after crashing, sparking outcry and leading to renewed calls for more to be done to keep riders safe.<\/p>\n

One year on the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)<\/a> has confirmed that riders competing in every race in Kigali will have a GPS tracking device attached under their saddle. The scheme is a welcome one as the sport grapples with \u2013 or more accurately dithers over \u2013 how it responds to the ever-present danger of road racing, after multiple rider deaths in the past few years.<\/p>\n

Zoe Backstedt, a member of the British team in Rwanda and newly-crowned under-23 time trial champion<\/a>, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a really tragic loss and it\u2019s a shame that so many things like this have happened in cycling in the last couple of years. I believe the UCI is doing everything they can to make our sport as safe as possible and you have to believe they\u2019re doing what they can for us riders.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say it\u2019s got a bit better [over the past year]. It\u2019s a hard one, it\u2019s not the direct thing you look at when you\u2019re in the middle of a bike race, you only really look at it when something has gone wrong. That has happened a lot less, I would say, over the last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Backstedt\u2019s teammate Cat Ferguson said safety is \u201cof course\u201d on her mind when she races. She gave a refreshingly honest assessment of the state of the sport, saying: \u201cThis year I\u2019ve seen the imperfections and the perfections of the UCI and what they\u2019re doing for safety in cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Zoe<\/p>\n

Zoe Backstedt was crowned under-23 world time trial champion on Monday (AP)<\/p>\n

The recent Simac Ladies Tour, which she rode in, featured \u201cprobably the worst roads in terms of danger. You\u2019re with 150 girls and everyone wants to be at the front. Safety was on my mind more than my legs hurt, or anything, in that race.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 19-year-old is a member of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associ\u00e9s (CPA), a non-profit which safeguards riders\u2019 interests and focuses on safety. Ferguson noted the work of the CPA \u2013 which involves monthly calls with riders and \u201cconstant feedback\u201d to discuss issues \u2013 has \u201creally given me confidence that there is something going on and people who are really fighting our corner as cyclists, instead of just the TV companies who maybe just want an exciting race and don\u2019t care as much about safety.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning attention to purely sporting matters, Ferguson and Backstedt are among the young talent benefiting from British Cycling<\/a>\u2019s selection policy for this championships. The national body has selected<\/a> a large contingent of women\u2019s under-23 riders for the Road World Championships<\/a> in Rwanda, alongside a large men\u2019s elite squad led by Tom Pidcock<\/a> and Oscar Onley,<\/a> with the focus split between the \u2018now\u2019 of men\u2019s cycling and the future of women\u2019s racing.<\/p>\n

\"Britain's<\/p>\n

Britain’s Anna Henderson finished eighth in Sunday’s opening event, the elite women’s time trial (AP)<\/p>\n

No British women will be riding the elite road race for the first time in over 30 years, with Anna Henderson \u2013 Paris Olympic silver medallist in the time trial \u2013 finishing eighth on Sunday as the lone elite British rider selected to race against the clock in Rwanda. There are no Brits in the elite men\u2019s time trial, although former world bronze medallist Josh Tarling would have been be a strong contender were he fit. The 21-year-old has raced sparingly since crashing out of the Giro in May.<\/p>\n

But the decision to focus on the brand new under-23 category has paid off so far, with Backstedt making history as the first ever winner of the time trial.<\/p>\n

Ferguson is well-placed to complete a clean sweep for GB women by upgrading her junior road race title from last year (the teenager followed in Backstedt\u2019s footsteps by winning both junior rainbow jerseys in Zurich, with Backstedt claiming both in Wollongong, Australia in 2022). The hilly nature of the course suits the 19-year-old, with 2,435m of climbing on the 119.3km route.<\/p>\n

Ferguson has made the step up to World Tour racing this year with Spanish team Movistar, taking her first win at this level at the Tour of Britain this summer. She has been honest about the gulf between World Tour and lower-level riders, and the gap between junior and elite racing, saying: \u201cThe races I\u2019ve been doing I\u2019ve been doing a job for someone else or just holding on for dear life. It\u2019s important to do some races where you can be a bit more competitive as well.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After a Vuelta a Espana which made headlines more for disruptive protests than any sporting drama, most within…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163176,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[445],"tags":[49,48,84556,635,84557,36377,82,84555,30127,84558],"class_list":["post-163175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-cat-ferguson","tag-cycling","tag-human-rights-abuses","tag-rwanda","tag-sports","tag-union-cycliste-internationale","tag-world-championships","tag-zoe-backstedt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163175"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163175\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}