The UCI are set to send a technical delegation to Rwanda in May to assess the country's bid for the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
Rwanda's capital, Kigali, submitted a bid for the races in September 2019 after the UCI invited bids from African nations, with Morocco also bidding. If either nation wins the hosting rights it would mark the first time the continent would host the Worlds, and only the 11th time a nation outside of Europe has done so.
Rwanda Cycling Federation (FERWACY) president Abdallah Murenzi told Rwandan newspaper The New Times that a UCI technical team will visit the country in May.
"A technical team from UCI is expected in Rwanda in May to assess whether what we presented in the document of submission are the same as what is on ground," Murenzi said.
He and UCI President David Lappartient met at the African Cycling Confederation's elective Congress on March 14 in Egypt. Murenzi added that feedback on the bid has been positive but said that the inspection will be vital to the outcome.
"We have received positive feedback about our bid, but that won't be enough for us to win the bid because we still face competition from Morocco. What the inspection team will observe during their field visit will decide who wins the bid."
The nation already hosts one of the top stage races in Africa, the Tour du Rwanda. The eight-day race – which is well-known for the massive crowds it draws – has grown in recent years, attracting European teams such as Astana and Delko. This May, Israel Start-Up Nation, Total Direct Énergie, and Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec will return to the race, along with Team Novo Nordisk and B&B Hotels p/b KTM.
As well as traveling to Rwanda to inspect their bid, the UCI will also carry out assessments in Morocco later this year before the final decision on the location of the 2025 Worlds is made and announced at the Worlds in Flanders in September.
The location of the World Championships from 2022 through 2024 have already been decided, with Wollongong in Australia, Glasgow in the UK, and Zürich in Switzerland hosting each year, respectively.
