Rwandan Epic – Mud, Sweat and Gears
As mentioned in a previous article, another opportunity from Acorn’s visit to Rwanda was for Keith to take part in the Rwandan Epic mountain bike race.
The event is a five day, five stage cross country race covering over 300km in total distance and 5,000m of ascent, and is the brainchild of two friends (one Belgian, one English) who discovered great mountain biking trails in Rwanda’s amazing landscape.
The plan was for Keith to ride in the pairs category, teaming-up with Rwandan athlete and former professional cyclist, Nathan Byukusenge, however there were a few problems from the outset, as Keith explains: “On day one of the race, it transpired that Nathan’s bike was in need of some repairs and a replacement was required. Thankfully we managed to borrow a friend’s bike and we could compete as planned.”
Day one was hot and dry, but this was to be the only such day of the event as the next four stages were all beset by torrential rain which turned sections of the trail into absolute mud baths.
“Unfortunately, Nathan’s borrowed bike also broke on day two, meaning that he was out of the general classification as he couldn’t complete that day’s racing.”
“So on day three he was able to borrow a bike sponsored by a charity called Shift Up Legs, meaning that he could join me for the remaining days of the race.”
Shift Up Legs was founded by another Rwandan cyclist, Jean De Dieu ‘Rafiki’ Uwimana, who competed for his country in the London 2012 Olympics and leading UCI events including the Tour of Rwanda itself.
Pippa Mitchell: “Shift Up Legs sponsor kids bike teams in Rwanda but it’s so much more than that – they feed them, kit them out with the right cycling clothes and build bikes for them.”
“Instead of supplying complete bikes, manufacturers send spare components which Shift Up Legs then build bikes from, so they can be a bit of a hotch-potch of brands but the bikes are really well put together and provide a great opportunity for these kids to get into competitive riding.”
Keith, Claire and Pippa themselves took with them some cycling kit and components that had been donated by local friends and businesses, all of which were gratefully received and put to good use straight away.
“Some of the older kids were also competing in the Rwandan Epic themselves, along with a number of female Rwandan riders, something which was unheard of a few years ago.” adds Pippa, “Rafiki said that a couple of these kids had never touched a mountain bike before, so to be competing at this level was quite an achievement.”
Keith completed the five stages of the Rwandan epic in a time of 17:34:53, finishing 10th overall in the solo category (having been able to switch from the duo category).
And would he like to compete again? “Most definitely! It was a great experience even with Nathan’s bikes and the ridiculous amount of rain turning some of the trails into rivers. It was brilliant to take part in and if the chance came along again then I’d find it hard to say no.”
More wonderful images of the event can be found on the Rwandan Epic Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/rwandanepic/
As a quick footnote, if you would like to find out more about cycling as a sport in Rwanda and the incredible achievements of riders like Nathan Byukusenge and Jean De Dieu ‘Rafiki’ Uwimana, then we suggest a good starting point is the documentary / movie ‘Rising from the Ashes‘. It’s available to watch on AppleTV, but here is the trailer on YouTube to whet your appetite.