Samson Ndayishimiye, President of the Rwandan Cycling Federation (FERWACY), shared Rwanda's ambitious plans to turn the Tour du Rwanda into a world-class cycling event during an interview with La Dernière Heure. He emphasized the importance of continuing the legacy of the UCI Road World Championships by attracting renowned cyclists from across the globe to compete in Rwanda.
He stated: "We want the last UCI Road World Championships to leave a lasting legacy. We are working on the best strategy to achieve this. We need to carefully consider timing and how to organize future cycling races, but we must also evaluate how to make them even better. Our goal is to attract many top-level cyclists."
Ndayishimiye highlighted the ultimate goal: to raise the Tour du Rwanda's profile to equal the top-tier cycling events, with ambitions of reaching World Tour status.
He added: "In the future, this race could even reach World Tour level. It is a shared ambition, but we need to thoroughly assess everything with meticulous planning to make the best decisions. There is no set timeline, but the project could start as early as 2027."
These statements came after a significant meeting between President Paul Kagame and David Lappartient, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), where discussions focused on advancing the Tour du Rwanda to become a premier international cycling competition.
The strides toward boosting the global stature of the Tour du Rwanda reflect Rwanda's commitment to fostering a robust cycling culture and achieving international acclaim for the event.