Officially presented in Kigali, the Tour du Rwanda 2026 is knocking on the door, traditionally positioned at the start of the season, from February 22 to March 1st. Here it is, a cycling event made special by the echo generated by the World Championships at the end of September, although in other ways, the stage race is the fundamental base from which the Land of a Thousand Hills started before reaching the world event.

Tour du Rwanda comes of age, eighteenth edition, ready to designate the successor of Frenchman Fabien Doubey along 993 Km of breathtaking landscapes. There will be 16,608 total meters of elevation gain, while the teams are a total of 18. A mix of Development World Tour teams is expected, along with the Continental teams entrusted with the precious task of allowing African and Rwandan riders to showcase themselves in what was and remains the main stage race of the continent. A launching pad. The roster is completed, certainly not in an accessory manner, by four national teams, including the home team.

In order, Development World Tour teams proposing participation include UAE Team Emirates Gen Z, Movistar, NSN, PiCNIC PostNL, Intermarché, Soudal Quick Step. Among the Continental teams, Team Amani stands out with renewed ambitions, along with local teams Benediction and May Stars, the Algerian Madar (best African team), the German Rembe Rat replacing Bike Aid, and the Brazilian Swift Pro Cycling. The quartet of national teams is composed of Rwanda, Eritrea, South Africa, and Ethiopia.

With the certainty of an extraordinary public turnout (before habituation sets in, it will take some time), the same scenes of enthusiasm proposed during the World Championships, the Tour du Rwanda will conclude exactly at the Kigali Convention Center, the finish line where the reference frame can only be that of Tadej Pogacar winning solo. By the way, the final stage (Kigali-Kigali, 99 km) includes two laps of the 15 km World Championships 2025 circuit.

Overall, the stages are an authentic homage to every province of the country: it starts with the 174 km Rukomo-Rwamagama on February 22, then on the 23rd the Nyamata-Huye (135 km), on the 24th the lively Huye-Rusizi (145 km and finish on Lake Kivu), on the 25th the Karongi-Rubavu (127 km overlooking the large water surface). The fifth stage on the 26th will be an 82 km criterium in Rubavu, while on the 27th from Musanze, at the foot of the Volcanoes where Gorillas live, return to the Capital after 147 km. Then the final act on March 1st, including, needless to say, the pavé that riders and the world have learned to know, iconic and feared.