Africa has become a hot-bed for the sport of cycling. In recent years, there has been an increase in African representation in the pro peloton; and also an increase in Black Africans finding success at the highest levels of the sport. There is so much interest in cycling across Africa that the UCI is planning to host their World Championship road race in Kigali, Rwanda, for both men and women. However, the ongoing violence in the region between Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebels and the Congolese military has thrown doubt over whether the UCI World Championships should be held in Rwanda.

Analysis

The International Cycling Union (UCI) is the governing-body of cycling throughout the world. This year’s World Championships, held every four years, will take place in and around Kigali, Rwanda. The previous edition of the World Championships was held in the cycling-rich region of Flanders in Belgium. According to Velo, the planned route in Kigali is set to be the hardest course ever for a UCI World Championships. The men’s course is set to be a 268 kilometer slog through the Rwandan mountains (with more climbing than previous World Championships set in the European Alps) and the women’s race will be a similar slog through the mountains but a bit shorter at only 165 kilometers.

Cycling has always had dominant and powerful African riders who mostly came out of South Africa, and were white, such as Chris Froome (Kenyan-born 4-Time Tour de France champion); Robbie Hunter; Darryl Impey; Louis Meintjes; and more. However, over the past ten years, we have seen more African riders, who are black, participate in the highest levels of the sport. The first black African riders to race in the Tour de France was Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus in 2015. More recently, in 2024, Biniam Girmay, of Eritrea, won the coveted “green jersey” at the Tour de France – the green jersey signifies the best sprinter over the course of the entire Tour de France (he won three stages in the Tour).

Rwanda also has been involved in a series of violent clashes over the decades since the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. Currently, the M23 rebels have captured the city of Goma inside of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); the M23 are backed by the Rwandan military, according to Jeanne-Pierre Lacroix from the United Nations. Lacroix has said there is “no question that there are Rwandan troops in Goma supporting the M23”. The BBC reports that Rwanda has provided supervision, training, and weapons to the M23 rebels. The conflict has caused over 178,000 people to be displaced. The Associated Press has reported that since January 26, 2025, over 3,000 people have died and as many people have been hurt or injured in the violence. During the siege of Goma, hundreds of prisoners escaped Munzenze Prison. Horrifically, the male inmates were able to access the female side of the prison and raped over 100 female inmates and then burned them alive when the prison was set on fire.

The violence has many in the cycling world concerned about the safety of the route and the participants during the World Championships; and during this month’s Tour du Rwanda race (a 7-day stage race, and UCI sanctioned event). Security and safety concerns are being raised about the safety of the Tour du Rwanda as one of the stages will require teams to be housed in hotels just about six miles away from the violence, as the route will take the riders (and their teams) close to the DRC. World Tour team Soudal-Quickstep (one of the most successful teams in the world) is opting out of the Tour du Rwanda amid safety concerns. Meanwhile, individual cyclists may decide to opt out of racing in the World Championships on their own like reigning World Champion Mathieu Van Der Poel, of the Netherlands, winner of the 2023 World Championships; though his reasoning is due to the route not suiting his best skills as a racer, according to France 24.

As of right now, the UCI claims to not be willing to consider cancelling the World Championships; though, it is reported, on FloBikes, that if the World Championships in Rwanda are ultimately canceled that the event would be held in Martigny, Switzerland, instead.