{"id":11804,"date":"2022-05-16T18:12:41","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T16:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/mbuk\/?post_type=purple_issue&p=11804"},"modified":"2022-05-16T18:12:41","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T16:12:41","slug":"the-race-of-1000-hills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/mbuk\/2022\/05\/16\/the-race-of-1000-hills\/","title":{"rendered":"The race of 1,000 hills"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Big miles and even bigger smiles in the ‘Rwandan Epic’ stage race<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n

WORDS & PICS MATT GRAYSON<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

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RWANDA IS A LAND OF BREATHTAKING SCENERY, FRIENDLY PEOPLE, ELUSIVE MOUNTAIN GORILLAS AND \u2013 PERHAPS SURPRISINGLY \u2013 A BIG PASSION FOR BIKES.<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n\n

S<\/span>o popular is cycling here that the East African country has been chosen to host the UCI Road World Championships in 2025. Mountain biking hasn\u2019t gained such a strong foothold, yet \u2013 but that\u2019s something the organisers of the Rwandan Epic stage race are hoping to help change, as the country continues to put the darkest chapter in its past behind it. The event is the brainchild of Rwanda-based Belgian Simon De Scutter and Matthew Brokenshire, <\/span>from England, who went riding here with friends and discovered great trails in an amazing landscape. Amazed that Rwanda didn\u2019t have any mountain bike races, they decided to organise their own. The course was designed by another Belgian, Simon Huppertz, who coached the Rwandan MTB team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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After the first edition in 2020 had to be scaled back, this year\u2019s race went ahead as planned, with international riders competing alongside locals on some of the country\u2019s most photogenic and challenging terrain. The dynamic was friendly, with riders living, riding and drinking together, and the focus was less on cut-throat competition and more on showcasing Rwanda to the world. \u201cWe always think about the riding,\u201d explained De Scutter. \u201cBut we also want to show what the country has to offer.\u201d The organisers succeeded on both counts.<\/p>\n\n

IN A LAND KNOWN AS THE \u2018COUNTRY OF A THOUSAND HILLS\u2019, INEVITABLY THERE WAS NEXT TO NO FLAT GROUND \u2013A THEME THAT DEFINED ALL FOUR STAGES<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

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01<\/span><\/strong> The race began with a prologue timetrial on the slopes of Mount Kigali, on the outskirts of the Rwandan capital. In a land known as the \u2018Country of a Thousand Hills\u2019, inevitably there was next to no flat ground \u2013a theme that would come to define all four stages. <\/span>The racing was fast and relentless, with part of the course taking in the narrow alleys of the bustling Nyamirambo neighborhood.<\/p>\n\n

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02 <\/strong><\/span>Rwandans are familiar with road cycling, but mountain biking is still embryonic here. The sight of 41 riders from 12 countries sprinting through villages, hurtling over rock gardens and weaving through farmsteads was a curiosity as well as a source of much entertainment.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

03 <\/span><\/strong>German marathon XC champ Karl Platt (pictured) won the first stage with his teammate Jean Eric Habimana. They were one of several pairings that partnered a Rwandan or Kenyan rider with an international pro. \u201cJean Eric is special, one of the most talented Rwandan riders,\u201d says Karl. <\/span>\u201cIt was a good balance between us, and he learned a lot of technique. Not only Jean Eric, but the other local riders, too.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\u201cI WAS SURPRISED TO FIND SUCH A GREAT MIX OF TECHNICAL TRAILS, ROCKY DESCENTS, STEEP CLIMBS AND SUPER-LONG, FAST, FLOWING SINGLE TRACK\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n

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04<\/span><\/strong> The race then headed to the north of the country for three stages. This region is one of the strongholds of cycling in Rwanda, the training ground of the country\u2019s road team and home to the national cycling centre, but doesn\u2019t see many MTBers.\u201cThe Rwandans have little access to mountain bikes, despite having this network of amazing trails on their doorstep,\u201d explains Britain\u2019s Josh Ibbett (pictured), who teamed up with Rwanda\u2019s Jean Rubera (pic 01). <\/span>Hopefully the Epic will change that.<\/p>\n\n

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05<\/span><\/strong> Stage two was a marathonstyle 75km route with panoramic views over the \u2018Twin Lakes\u2019 of Burera and Ruhondo \u2013 although the racers didn\u2019t have much time to admire the vistas.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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06<\/span><\/strong> In the shadow of the Virunga Mountains, the next leg was an XCOstyle circuit race with steep climbs and technical descents. It was cut short by one of equatorial Rwanda\u2019s frequent torrential downpours.<\/p>\n\n

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07<\/span><\/strong> Dormant volcanoes frame the landscape in the northern district of Musanze, where riders descended a slippery rock garden on stage three (pic 04). The gathered locals erupted in frenzied approval as each picked their line and committed, with varying degrees of success. But it was for Karl Platt that they saved their most fervent outpourings.When the five-time Cape Epic winner exploded past as if riding on tarmac, they absolutely lost their minds!<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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08<\/strong><\/span> Rwanda is one of the only places in the world where you can see mountain gorillas. The stage three finish line in Kinigi, in the foothills of the Volcanoes National Park, was near the site of the annual Kwita Izina ceremony, where newborn gorillas are officially given their name.<\/p>\n\n

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09<\/span><\/strong> The fourth and final stage had an initial ascent on gravel tracks to 2,900m, through tea plantations and pastures filled with grazing cattle. Platt said he found it reminiscent of Switzerland \u2013 \u201cwith the smell of cow shit in the air!\u201d<\/p>\n\n

10<\/span><\/strong> It all finished on the banks of Lake Kivu, a few kilometres from the border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a country mired in conflict. Given Rwanda\u2019s own troubled past, it was poignant to reflect on how far the nation has come since the 1994 genocide. For the riders, the racing wasn\u2019t the main focus. Instead, the event was more about hanging out with like minded people and seeing the real Rwanda. \u201cNow, after experiencing it, I\u2019d say everyone ca<\/span>n come to Rwanda,\u201d says Platt, who took the overall title along with Habimana, pictured. \u201cCome and experience the people, the landscape and the mountain biking \u2013 it\u2019s super-easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

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NEED TO KNOW: RWANDA<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

The Republic of Rwanda is a small landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley, bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It hit the headlines in 1994 when neighbour turned on neighbour in a spree of ethnic violence, resulting in the deaths of up to a million people and leaving it with one of the world\u2019s youngest populations (average age 19). The economy \u2013 based mostly on subsistence agriculture \u2013 has since recovered and tourism continues to grow, thanks to Rwanda\u2019s beautiful scenery and rare wildlife.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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Josh Ibbett <\/span><\/strong>
UK pro rider<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been lucky enough to race my mountain bike in a number of countries across the world, but I have to say the Rwandan racing experience was one of the best. I was surprised to find such a great mix of technical trails, rocky descents, steep climbs and super-long, fast, flowing singletrack. It was one of the most balanced courses I\u2019ve ridden.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n

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