He first saw the wonderful walls of Lucca during his years as a rider and now lives nearby. How could he not be at the start of Tuesday's time trial? It's a competitive career trajectory that has become a life destination for Adrien Niyonshuti, the first professional cyclist in Rwanda's history.

The human story of this 38-year-old (today selector of the Benin national team) brings us back to the immense tragedy of the genocide that in the Land of a Thousand Hills caused a million Tutsi ethnic deaths. Adrien lost six brothers, and semantic underlining about the bicycle as a leap, an escape from unspeakable pain, the ability of two wheels to generate well-being by distracting the mind from the watershed moment of 1994 seems superfluous. When ethnic hatred transformed into a humanitarian drama unfortunately underestimated by the international community. It is true that Rwanda has risen again, not only economically, without erasure, drawing from hope.

Niyonshuti, let's start by saying what the Olympics mean to you?

"A kind of everything, in terms of emotional intensity. I had the honor of being the flag bearer at the 2012 London Games, where I competed in MTB cross-country, and in Rio, where I was already racing on the road. In England, the echoes of the genocide from eight years earlier were still very much felt."

How did your passion for cycling begin?

"I started at an amateur level, I was 16 and living in my hometown of Rwamagana, in the east of the country. There was an old bike belonging to a relative, I felt that pedaling helped me after the horrors I had seen and experienced. I entered the orbit of Team Rwanda managed by former US professional cyclist Jock Boyer, and the results encouraged me. Those were years when the Rwandan movement was in its infancy (the film 'Rising from the Ashes' was born during that pioneering period)."

You had five top-ten finishes in a row at the Tour du Rwanda...

"Yes, including overall victories in 2006 and 2008, when I was called for a training camp in South Africa. It went well, I was hired by Mtn Cycling of Douglas Ryder and in the summer of 2009 I was competing on the roads of the Tour of Ireland."

IN TUSCANY WITH QHUBEKA

Until 2017 it was a crescendo: during the two years in the World Tour, was the potential of African cycling becoming clear?

"During that period, they did a lot to develop interest and enthusiasm for cycling in Eritrea, with the polka dot jersey of the 2015 Tour de France, Daniel Teklehaimanot, together with his compatriot Merhawi Kudus. That experience linked over time to the Qhubeka brand was inspiring, especially in a country with an enviable cycling culture like Eritrea."

Now there's a World Championship that will be an epochal moment for the entire African continent?

"Yes, I believe so. Perhaps not everyone in the world understands what a world championship means, especially with such a course that is not just hard but extremely hard. And an announced duel between Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. For those who don't know it yet, you'll discover the Mur Kigali, tackled in fifteen laps, complete with cobblestones. Add that the capital is located at altitude. It will be maximum selection."

Adrien, what did you do after hanging up your bike?

"I created my own Academy in 2013 and we managed to launch two valuable riders, including my cousin Eric Muhoza. It was a beautiful adventure that has now continued elsewhere."

Yes, Benin: why this country?

"Things had unfortunately changed for me at home (divergences with the federal world, ed). My friends from Team Africa Rising, who had worked in Rwanda for a long time, proposed collaboration. I asked for at least a three-year period to develop my program. Yes, Benin, with its Tour now in its twentieth year in 2025, represents a privileged area to involve new cyclists, with special attention to the female sector. In general, without rushing things, improvements have been made and at Kigali 2025 we will have a selection of about a dozen units in various categories."

Benin, Rwanda itself, and every other State on the Continent: what does cycling need?

"The world championship must not be a spot moment. With more bikes and more races - even just small circuits or stage races at 2.2 level - we can bridge the existing infrastructural gap and shift the focus towards African cycling in a future that may not be so far away. We know the recipe: if you offer the opportunity to pedal while playing, riders will be formed."

BENIN BET AND TRAINING IN AIGLE

Speaking of training, congratulations on your recent promotion to second-level sports director...

"Yes, the Benin federation gave me the opportunity to attend the prestigious UCI center in Aigle, Switzerland, where I took the final exam. I consider it fundamental to make my skills available to collaborators, who in turn must continuously train themselves."

A short distance from the barriers, Niyonshuti's children are somewhat distracted by the passing riders. Future cyclists like their father?

"I don't know, for now they do athletics and we'll see."

And does Adrien have time for cycling?

"Without excess, although doing exercise is a necessity to be balanced with family commitments. Now my dimension is that of a sports director."

But what about the prodigy time at Alpe d'Huez?

"I climbed it on July 14, 2022, as a Qhubeka testimonial, taking 1 hour and 28 minutes. Especially using a bike with a single speed and twice the weight of the vehicles available to professionals. It was an opportunity to promote the activity of Qhubeka Charity, which literally changes the lives of many young Africans by offering them a robust and simple bike, suitable for travel on unpaved roads. This means being able to attend a school sometimes very far from these boys and girls' place of residence."

In the shadow of the Lucca walls, Niyonshuti's daily life is oriented towards a kind of mission/conviction: to make cycling a cultural and developmental factor throughout Africa.

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