If the World Championships are held in Rwanda, it is mainly due to him. There, they called him "Coach" with a capital C, which wasn't seen, but was felt.

Jock Boyer: from Moab, Utah, born in 1955, 87 victories as an amateur, 49 as a professional, two Giro d'Italia and five Tour de France, the first American to race (and finish) the Tour de France (in 1981), also a protagonist in ultra-cycling, winner of the Race Across America (in 1985), from 2007 to 2017 coach and technician, sports director and team manager, coordinator and regulator, "Coach" - precisely - of that extraordinary Team Rwanda endeavor. Building a team from scratch. Zero riders, zero races, zero culture, zero structures and infrastructures, zero of zero. Tom Ritchey the mind, Jock Boyer the arm. And in 10 years, they did it. Until the Tour of Rwanda was no longer considered a madness, a utopia, a joke, but an internationally recognized race. And until Rwanda gained the opportunity to host and organize the 2025 Cycling World Championships.

Boyer arrived in Rwanda after hitting rock bottom: the accusation of molesting a minor, admitting the crime in 2002, a crime that could have meant up to 22 years in prison, the sentence reduced to five years, then one year of detention (then eight months, from October 31, 2002 to July 7, 2003 in Monterey County Jail) and five years of supervised release. Challenge or redemption, adventure or rehabilitation, mission or atonement, or simply a second chance, what Boyer managed to create in Rwanda was all of this: a masterpiece that inspired books, documentaries, and films, and that can boast numerous imitation attempts, all of which sank or never reached his level. Because through training and races, schedules and rules, academies and clubs, fundraising and materials, rules and obligations, Boyer attracted attention, ignited hopes, and nurtured credibility.

I wrote about Boyer in my "Black Roads" (Ediciclo). A man with his sin to serve (served), but also to respect and admire. He who for 40 years has not touched alcohol but drank alkaline water struck by ultraviolet rays to remove microbes and has not eaten packaged food except for dried fruit: and as a rider, he would go with bread and water. He who always carries the Bible with him and prays before every meal. He who does not read newspapers, does not listen to radio, does not watch TV, with the only exceptions being books by Christian evangelist Philip Yancey and the movie "Gladiator". He who does not take malaria medication even in countries where malaria was the primary cause of death. He who valued those Rwandan boys by offering them opportunities and changing their lives.

Jock opened the doors to his house and those of the Africa Rising Cycling Centre, his second home, both in Musanze. The first surrounded by walls, gates, and barbed wire with a bodyguard. The second with state-of-the-art facilities in an oasis-like natural park. Then he returned to the United States: his mission, or perhaps his atonement, was complete.