Changing Terrain with Rwanda Beyond

First off, can you all introduce yourselves? 

Simon: My name is Simon De Schutter. I’m from Belgium, but I’ve lived in Rwanda since 2017. I moved initially for one year and never really left. I didn’t initially move for cycling, but right now, everything I’m doing in Rwanda is related to cycling. 

Jean: My name is Jean Ruberwa. I’m a cyclist, formerly with the Rwandan National Team from 2015. I was twice the U23 champion—in 2017 and 2019—and I’ve been a member of the Rwanda Beyond team since 2020. 

Innocent: My name is Innocent Niyireba. I live in Rwanda and was a pro cyclist from 2016 to 2020. In 2020, I joined the off-road team for Rwanda Beyond. I also combine coaching with mechanics and guiding. 

How did the Rwanda Beyond project start? What was the motivation behind it? 

S: We started with the Race around Rwanda in 2020 because we thought Rwanda was a great place for a race—not because we wanted to organize a race but because it felt necessary to do a race here. And then immediately we realized that Rwandan’s are road cyclists; there wasn’t even a single gravel bike available in the country at that time. We didn't want to organize events in the country where no people from Rwanda could participate. And that's basically the reason we started the project. 

How long after that first race did the team and broader project come together? 

S: You know, 2020 was a funny year. We did the race in February, then the world locked down three weeks later. So, it was only in 2021 and later that the team really formed into a proper team or collective. It was much more ad hoc in the beginning. We were giving support to riders early on, but it was nothing really structured. 

Jean, can you talk a bit about your early experiences with the Race around Rwanda? 

J: I grew up in road racing; that was my life every day. I was used to using my GPS for tracking heart rate, distance—things like this—but the Race around Rwanda was my first time really thinking about navigation. Simon knows what happened to me during my first race: I missed some turns, had to go back…it was a really big challenge. 

But the race isn’t full gas every day. You wait for others, meet as a community. I really enjoy it, and that’s why I’m still part of the project. 

Innocent, what’s been your experience with the race? 

I: I also started the Race around Rwanda in 2020. I was still training on a road bike and was used to riding 100 kilometers or 150 kilometers, but the Race Around is 1000KM. I started out fast; I didn’t know how to focus my energy and felt drained. I didn’t have navigation or lights, so I just followed the other riders. It was a big experience and it’s been a good experience. 

S: If I can pick up on what they said about the first race, we managed to get them gravel bikes and some bikepacking bags. They had phones to navigate, but it was raining a lot, so navigating by phone was basically impossible. They had cheap battery lights that they mounted to their helmets with duct tape. So, like Innocent said, they watched the flickering lights in front of them and followed those. I texted them an explanation: you go to this village and then to that village and then to that village. They took the wrong roads a lot. Think: at that time they were road cyclists, so they knew the tarmac roads of Rwanda well—and the tarmac roads in Rwanda are beautiful, but there's not a lot of them. Now I think Jean and Innocent can do the Race around Rwanda without a GPS, but the first year was definitely an adventure. 

Could you tell us more about the format of the Race around Rwanda? 

S: It's a thousand-kilometer bikepacking race, so nonstop. We do offer—for an unsupported race—quite a lot of support, meaning we have four checkpoints along the way, which is on average every 200 kilometers. It's a fixed route because for many people who are not from Rwanda, racing in a country like Rwanda is a bit overwhelming.

 So, we offer lots of support, lots of checkpoints, and we plan the route. Apart from that, it's just a lot of climbing. It's the “land of a thousand hills.” It's 17,000 meters and 40% off-road.

How has the race grown? 

S: This year, we had 120 riders; we increased the max a bit. We were 100 before and have sold out every year. I don’t think we will increase it further. I want to keep it small enough for everyone to be able to meet each other afterwards, to share a beer. 

It’s an open registration, and we do sell out every year, but it’s not like some European races that sell out in five minutes. 

Innocent and Jean, is there a specific race you’re looking forward to the most this season? 

I: For a long time, my dream was to attend the UCI World Road Championships, but I left road racing before I could attend. So now, my dream is to attend the UCI World Gravel Championships—maybe even to win it. 

And Jean? 

J: The Safari Gravel Race is a big race with a big name. The race has 100 riders, but there’s only one first place—only one—and everyone who comes wants to get that place. But if I can be prepared, I can win the race. When you win, you always have a smile in your heart. We need to show the world that in Rwanda, there are many talented cyclists. We can show that we are strong, and that with the right support, we will show what we can do. So, the point is, I’m excited this season about winning. 

No matter which race—any race—just winning.