Rwanda strives to have a WorldTour race built on the legacy of the World Championships

The first-ever World Championships on African soil are already a history, but behind the scenes, the Rwandan Cycling Federation are already working on a plan to keep the momentum going for years to come. Alongside the International Cycling Union, Rwandans are currently exploring the possibilities, which include promoting the current Tour du Rwanda, or establishing a brand new race.

Ahead of the 2025 rainbow event, the venue was much-discussed due to the county's circumstances. The dictatorial regime in Rwanda was directly involved in a civil war in the Republic of Congo, their western neighbors. The World Championships thus offered a golden opportunity to polish the regime's image.

But despite all fears, the event progressed smoothly with absolutely zero complications. For that reason, the Kigali World Championships were viewed as a massive success by the UCI from both a sporting and organizational perspective.

Both UCI and Rwandan Cycling Federation are now working hard to make sure that the World Championships don't become just a one-time event that will be remembered as a missed opportunity to build something greater for the future generations.

"We want the past World Championships to leave a legacy," the president of the Rwandan federation Samson Ndayishimiye explains in an interview for La Derniere Heure. "We're currently exploring the best way to approach this. We need to determine the best date to organize a cycling race, but we also need to consider the best race format. We want to present a strong field of participants."

The Tour du Rwanda is already an annual UCI 2.1 race typically held at the end of February with several high-profile teams already accomodated to making the trip. "But the idea is to strive for a higher status."

Now with a great reputation of hosting the biggest one-day race in the world, even more teams are likely to consider making a round-trip to Rwanda. Having a larger block of races in the area (not necessarily only in Rwanda) could make the travel worth the hassle for even more prolific formations.

Ultimately, this race could even become part of the WorldTour. The biggest obstacle is a term-collision with two other WorldTour events, the UAE Tour and the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, making it unlikely to see a third WorldTour race take place simultaneously.

"The collective will is there, but we need to analyze everything calmly first so we can make the right choices. There's no strict deadline, but the project could start in 2027."