Former Tour de France stage winner takes on gravel challenge to raise funds for education in Rwanda: “This will be my first kilometres on a bike on the African continent”
Cycling
Jan Bakelants, the 38-year-old Belgian who won a Tour de
France stage in 2013, is set to take on a new challenge over the next few weeks.
Next year, the UCI World Championships will take place in Rwanda, making it the
first time the championships have been held in Africa. To honour this, Bakelants
will take part in a seven-day gravel bike ride in Rwanda to raise funds for
youth education in the country.
Bakelants will be riding alongside two dozen other
participants in a 431km journey with 7,253 metres of elevation gain, supported
by Vélo Afrique and Plan International Belgium. Bakelants caught up with
Cyclingnews to discuss this challenge, and this monumental moment, bringing the
world championships to Africa.
"This will be my first kilometres on a bike on the
African continent. It is quite exciting. I have no idea what to expect, how
good is the infrastructure, how challenging are the gravel roads, how testing
is the climate? All in all, it will give me great insight into how hard the
2025 Worlds will be for the pros."
It’s been a massive year for African cycling, after Biniam
Girmay became the first black African to win a Tour de France stage, and then
the first African to win a jersey, as he secured the green jersey as the best
sprinter in the Tour.
Bakelants' moving gesture is focusing
on improving educational opportunities, particularly for girls, and supporting
the construction of a new school. "With the World Championships coming in
2025, we want to raise awareness for the still vulnerable situation in which
girls live in this country. We know the key to solve this is proper education.
The funds raised through the participants should help the construction of a new
school," Bakelants explained.
Reflecting on the upcoming trip, Bakelants noted its broader
significance. "Organising this World Championships is a big event for
Rwanda to showcase itself to the world. It can also create awareness for things
we can help them improve with," he said.
Bakelants' shift to gravel racing came after his 15-year
professional road career ended in 2022. Since then, he has made his mark with
finishes like 14th place at Unbound Gravel in 2023, but this event is about far
more than just competing, it’s about helping cycling on its journey to becoming
a true worldwide sport. It’s got a long way to go, but cycling is certainly
heading in the right direction.
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I hope he rides a bitmij15-11-2026
- Greatest athlete this world has ever produced ! LOL ... you definitely are a comdian ! Cycling is so sprecialized and you think he's the greatest athlete ever ! Still laughing !frieders315-11-2026
- b.s. headline. Jonas wasn't told anything, it is just a pundit telling him what to do. the actual article is not even close to the insinuation of the headline.mij15-11-2026
- I think Roglic could have beaten Sepp. not Jonas. I was referring to Sepp.mij15-11-2026
- I'm deeply sick of this guy and his unwillingness to race seriously for more than a month or two. I'll never respect riders who do that. Seixas will be stronger than him next season, and maybe Del Toro as well. I don't even think he'll finish on the podium at any GT where Pogi, Seixas, and Del Toro are racing.megasmacky15-11-2026
- Not a chance in hell.megasmacky15-11-2026
- If you go watch some races from last season other riders that have never caught Jonas...are now catching him. Some are just riding away from him and he can't hold the wheelmd197514-11-2026
- He just doesn't have the desire anymore. I read an article earlier today that said he almost retired last year. His reasoning was he is away from home to much. Visma was able to keep him riding by allowing him to skip certain camps. So, while currently Visma is doing altitude work...Jonas is at home. Which means 2 things. 1- He maybe fresher than other riders. But, not the condition. 2-Is a somewhat slap in the face to others on the team that are supposed to help him win. Yet feel like he hasn't done what they have so perhaps they don't provide as good of protection or they ride more for theme (which the team may not notice).md197514-11-2026
- Roglic could not have won anyway, after Jonas followed him when Roglic decided it was his turn for a stage win. Jonas had already attacked Kuss twice, so it was Jonas who was within seconds of taking the lead before Kuss was 'gifted' the win. It felt a bit like Roglic was being thrown under the bus when the team made his unhappiness public.Hills3314-11-2026
- POG1, another nice doc about our favourite, I watched most of it with a big smile on my face (except for the bits about his crashes 😢 obvs!).Lozza14-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment