EIGHT local cyclists have departed for Rwanda to compete in this year’s edition of the International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships, set to take place in Kigali from September 21 to 28.

Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, Cycling Association of Tanzania (Chabata) President Geoffrey Mwagama said the team traveled to Rwanda by hired vehicle and was expected to arrive this morning.

The riders making the trip are Boniface Ngwata, Hassan Shariff, Ahmed Said, Said Simba, Jamila Abdullah, Asnath Yasson, Joseph Hatari, and Waziri Massoli. All eight will compete in the Individual Time Trial (ITT), a road cycling race where each rider competes alone against the clock.

The delegation also includes team mechanic Abdallah Khatib, head coach Hussen Ally Mussa, Chabata Secretary General Mussa Juma, and Mwagama himself as delegation leader. Mwagama expressed gratitude to Afroil, SAS Logistics, Cycling Brothers, Cycling Lovers, and Shining Empire for sponsoring the trip.

He was candid about expectations, cautioning Tanzanians not to anticipate medals, as no African nation has ever won a podium finish at the World Championships. “As I speak to you, we are on the road to Rwanda for the UCI Road World Championships. The team is well prepared and I am confident we will perform well. But I cannot promise medals - no African country has won a top-three medal at this event, not even Eritrea or South Africa, who are among Africa’s best,” he said.

The riders were selected during a qualifying event held late last month at Coco Beach in Dar es Salaam. This year’s competition will mark the first time the UCI Road World Championships are staged on the African continent. According to the UCI, Rwanda was chosen because of its strong record of hosting major cycling events, including the annual Tour du Rwanda.

“This country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa will now welcome Junior, Under-23, and Elite athletes racing for the prestigious rainbow jersey. It is not for nothing that Rwanda is nicknamed the ‘land of a thousand hills,’ and for many riders this will be their first experience on such challenging terrain. These UCI Road World Championships are another step in the globalization of cycling and come at a time when African riders are increasingly making international headlines,” the UCI stated on its website.

The world body further emphasized that the Kigali championships present an opportunity and added motivation for the younger generation of African riders to compete - and shine - on the global stage.