Team Rwanda

unionman

everything here is either up or down a hill

Great story.

Chips Lovell

Even the Rwandans have better roads than us:

cabinteelytom

That's inspiring.

TinyExplosions

Following the Kenyans maybe?

If they end up half as successful in cycling as they do in long distance running, the world had better watch out!

scottreynolds

TinyExplosions wrote: »

Following the Kenyans maybe?

If they end up half as successful in cycling as they do in long distance running, the world had better watch out!

Cool stories. Read bout the Kenyans last year. Its excellent. Cycling is slowly beciming a global sport (not just european)... its brilliant.

http://www.theafricancyclist.com/home.html

sy

scottreynolds wrote: »

Cool stories. Read bout the Kenyans last year. Its excellent. Cycling is slowly beciming a global sport (not just european)... its brilliant.

+1 on that scottreynolds. I posted on this last year .

Love the following extract and might be appropriate for the thread on carrying extra weight while training:eek:.

"There was a moment when Jock Boyer realised just how much cyclingRwanda. Boyer, once the first American to ride the Tour de France and now the first coach of the Rwandan national cycling team, was leading his team of professionals up a steep, winding hill. talent there is in Rwanda.
The cyclists were kitted out in their official sky blue and banana yellow Team Rwanda shirts. They were riding brand new $4,000 bikes. As they climbed the hill, the group sped past men and women carrying plates of fruit or stacks of banana leaves on their heads. They overtook old, creaking lorries weighed down with goods bound for Congo. And they passed other cyclists: young men on rusting single-speed Chinese-made bikes huffing and puffing their way up the hill, often with loads of coffee or charcoal on the back.
One of the cyclists they passed was called Leonard, 6ft 6in tall and carrying 150lbs of potatoes. A couple of minutes after Boyer and the team passed him, Leonard reappeared at their side, keeping pace, "cranking away", as Boyer put it. The coach found Leonard the next day and invited him to a trial."


Thats 150 pounds of spuds(not the pedal variety) and we worry about our carbon bottle cages and whether we should remove the valve covers on our tubes!!!:rolleyes:

scottreynolds

sy wrote: »

Thats 150 pounds of spuds(not the pedal variety) and we worry about our carbon bottle cages and whether we should remove the valve covers on our tubes!!!:rolleyes:

Classic, I know. I was carrying 80 pounds of pies my self.. but on the downward trend.

The lads went up Alpe D'Heuz in 45 mins I think, within the top 20 of all time.

Dura Ace

I think we should cheer for this guy at the Tour. It would great to see him get a good result.



Rwanda's top cyclist Adrien Niyonshuti is confident of a top finish at the Tour of Ireland scheduled to run from August 21-24 in Dublin, Ireland.
The South African based cyclist has been under intensive training back at home in the hills of Ruhengeri, Kibungo and Byumba for the last three weeks and is confident he can pull off a top finish at the international event.


"I have been training well for the last three weeks, and though it will be my first competition out side Africa, my coach (Jonathan Boyer) has taken me through some good preparation especially from the physiological side," said Niyonshuti.
The 29-year-old will ride for his MTN Energade team at the three-day event which is expected to attract over 100 international cyclists including seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong.

blorg

sy wrote: »

Thats 150 pounds of spuds(not the pedal variety) and we worry about our carbon bottle cages and whether we should remove the valve covers on our tubes!!!:rolleyes:

No worries about this here, I always remove the valve covers. It's more the aero than the weight I believe

Raam

blorg wrote: »

No worries about this here, I always remove the valve covers. It's more the aero than the weight I believe

Why do the valves have covers anyway? To stop em getting dirty?

Lumen

Raam wrote: »

Why do the valves have covers anyway? To stop em getting dirty?

They're placeholders for aliens.

MadHatter

Raam wrote: »

Why do the valves have covers anyway? To stop em getting dirty?

IIRC, it's to stop the valve puncturing the tube when it's folded up in the box/saddle bag/jersey pocket.

DePurpereWolf

More from a developing prospective, how much could developing nations benefit from good maintenance and good supplies for bikes. I mean, a decent work bike can go for centuries. With oil running out it might become more and more important for Africans below the Sahara to start cycling

petethedrummer

DePurpereWolf wrote: »

More from a developing prospective, how much could developing nations benefit from good maintenance and good supplies for bikes. I mean, a decent work bike can go for centuries. With oil running out it might become more and more important for Africans below the Sahara to start cycling

Loads of them cycle as means of getting around already, on 'Black Mambas' and the like. They just can't afford decent road bikes, nevermind having the funding to get to european races.

Húrin

I think I might paint a banner in support of this Team Rwanda.

Raam wrote: »

Why do the valves have covers anyway? To stop em getting dirty?

In dusty climates it stops dust getting into the valve. In our climate it stops rain getting in or causing rust.