Rwanda is the Land of a thousand hills, the national Cycling race, the heaviest in Africa. Team Manager Micha Glowatzki went with a small German team at the Start and is impressed by the sport of Cycling in Rwanda.
Contact: team Manager Micha Glowatzki (left) with his rider Dan Craven and young Fans
At the infamous “Mur de Kigali”, a steep cobblestone street in the capital of Rwanda, ended this year’s Tour of Rwanda with a spectacle. In front of thousands of wildly celebrating audience of the Locals, Samuel Mugisha, the 10 won. Host of the eight-day race, due to the mountainous route as the hardest Cycling race in Africa. Successfully also, the German Amateur Team Embrace the World, was able to win three stages. Team Manager Micha Glowatzki reported in the Interview of great enthusiasm, strong mountain riders and the lack of spare parts.
DW: Micha Glowatzki, your Amateur Team Embrace the World celebrated three stage victories in perhaps the most difficult races of Africa, they would have kept the front of the race for possible?
Micha Glowatzki: not At all. We would have expected the three victories will never be, and it is then directly in a row, was a total Surprise. As we sat in the car and on the tour radio is that we have won for the third Time, it was sensational. Rwanda is the Land of a thousand hills, as it goes only uphill, downhill. Because you have to catch a very good day to the Locals to keep up. That Europeans gain is rarely the case.
DW: your Team now has experience with the race in all parts of the world. Take a Tour of Rwanda is an adventure?
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more gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsStart into the Unknown
Almost 1000 kilometres in front of the participants of the Tour of Rwanda. The Peloton is international: The drivers come from Rwanda, Algeria, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Angola, Switzerland, the USA, Finland, Ireland, Spain, the Netherlands and France. Also, two German. With Dan Craven (center) starts a participants in the Olympic games.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsFor 30 Years
In 1988, the country launched a tour of Rwanda as a regional race for Native. In the meantime, the Tour is part of the UCI Africa Tour, is internationally known and topographically the most difficult race of Africa. And it attracts every day, thousands of spectators to the track.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsMagnet for spectators
School classes get it for free and flock to the track when the Tour comes around. The Tour of Rwanda is a magnet for Spectators. And many a course offers a special view of the racing action.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsMore Water!
Temperatures of well over 30 degrees and a high humidity make the drivers to create. A constant supply of liquid is provided. The US-American Timothy Rugg from the German Team Embrace the World of it needs just a little more. He wins the fourth stage in Karongi as a soloist.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsShared Joy
It remains the only success of the German Amateur team: Julian Hellmann (R) wins the stages number 3 and 5, “also due to his skills as a strong driver,” as team leader, Micha Glowatzki says. For Hug the World (Embrace the world) bring out the achievements a lot of recognition and a hug by the competition.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsAfter the stage
The accommodations of the Tour of Rwanda are simple, but well above what has been seen, the international driving Team Embrace the World in other African countries. And up to 200 kilometres long stages the riders need only a bed.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsThrough the high country
Rwanda is, on average, 1500 meters above sea level and is characterized by high-country. The highest mountain is 4500 feet high. The means for the driver: practically every day is a mountain stage. Well, then, if in the heat of the dense forests donate at least a little shade.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsThe sports highlight in Rwanda
In each locality the people expect the field already. The national tour of the sports highlight of the year “in Rwanda,” says Micha Glowatzki from the German Team Embrace the World. Across the country, the media reports about the spectacle.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsGiven everything
After his two stage wins, the efforts at Julian Hellmann. In the Jersey of the previous day’s winner, he falls at the finish of the sixth stage in Kinigi pumped out from the wheel and has to give up the tour.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsHome win
At the top of the race, the local driver to dominate as in previous years: The first two in the standings are from Rwanda. At the end of Samuel Mugisha wins (second Position), the drives for the Junior team of the ProTour team Dimension Data, with 21 seconds ahead of his compatriot Jean Cloude Uwizeye.
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Gate Tour in the Land of 1000 hillsFinale furioso
Like the Champs-Elysées, only a lot harder: The Tour of Rwanda ends traditionally at the “Mur de Kigali”, the wall of Kigali. The cobbled climb is extremely steep, some of the drivers need to push. The mood was comparable to the Alpe d’huez, says Embrace-the-World-team Manager Micha Glowatzki. A worthy end to a fantastic race.
Yes, definitely. The Tour of Rwanda is for us, the Highlight of the year. Firstly, because of the serious profile and, secondly, because we had already applied three Times, unsuccessfully, for a Start. The atmosphere at the track edge makes the race especially, the crowds are just unbelievable. This is a enthusiasm how in Alpe d’huez, otherwise I have never seen anything like it. Also, the country is one of the most beautiful countries I have ever visited. The race is an adventure, but everything is very well organized here.
DW: where does the enthusiasm for the sport of Cycling in Rwanda?
The race will be here in the media is very hyped, it is the sports Highlight of the year. The local sponsors, the money is there. The Tour of Rwanda is marketed is completely different than racing in other Parts of Africa. Here are football and Cycling to be promoted. And the national driver to drive with very good Material.
DW: What makes the race so difficult?
The “Mur de Kigali”: the Steeper end of a hard tour
There are rarely long flat pieces. It is time, time, it is often steep. Also the driving style of the Locals makes it exciting. There are three Rwandan Teams, the support on the one hand, and still in competition with each other. That is, it is constantly attacked, you never know what’s coming next. And just on the mountain, the light of the African riders are at an advantage. We have our stage wins (Julian Hellmann won the 3. And 5. Stage, Timothy Hugg 4. Stage, N. d. Red.) mostly on the downhills. Because we are in advantage, because we have a better driving technique.
DW: Well, two decades have passed since the civil war in Rwanda. What you will notice when you drive through the country?
Actually, nothing more. The atmosphere is very peaceful. We were greeted very friendly, everyone wants to see us, of course, what we have here. The side of the road was nothing more to see of the tensions between the ethnic groups.
DW: your drivers are real Amateurs, to study and work, Cycling, running in the background. Where is your Team five years after the founding?
Exactly, we are working or studying on the side. We make it all the way and do not earn money with the sport of Cycling. We also pay our flights to the races out of their own pocket, we are a very dedicated recreational athletes. I am often asked whether I want to go to the next level, a professional team wants to start on a continental level team. The whole Team would have to be restructured.
The German Amateur team Embrace the World, which is now invitations to race all over the world
DW: What is the story behind the team name “Embrace the World”?
We want to embrace the world and the sport of Cycling, Cycling to discover the world. The basic idea was that you can ride as an Amateur international race. Our fundraising project is connected to. When we met the first of the African Teams, we have seen that the Material we have used for ten to 15 years ago. It is needed everything. Since we have made up our minds that we take to the races and give away. In the meantime, we have given away more than 1000 replacement parts, wheels, or clothing, much of which we have received as donations from Germany.
DW: The Tour of Rwanda is dominated by locals, climbing strong drivers. Can Rwandan cyclists also eventually in the front positions of the Tour de France?
I think this is currently rather unlikely. For this you have to create it in a large professional team, and this is not easy. In Europe, it has fast established over a three -, four corners of the contact to a team of professionals, in Africa, you must be only seen once. Because the races in Europe collected UCI points are for the Pro teams more meaningful than in the Africa of the collected points. You can’t judge the race there as well. Still, many African riders need a period of acclimatization when you arrive in the European sport of Cycling. In Rwanda, the training conditions are very good in comparison to other African countries, however, the training of science is missing here, without running in Europe, nothing in the professional area. But there is a very strong climber, similar to the one in Eritrea, and from there have managed to already driver to the Tour de France.
Micha Glowatzki is 31 years old and works in a sports Institute as a Bike-Fitter. In addition, he directs the volunteer to the Team, Embrace the World, he travels to races in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe. With Olympian and Ex-Pro Dan Craven also stronger driver for the team starting now. As a former professional cyclist of the third category Glowatzki wants to help with a fundraising project, the Cycling in poorer countries to develop.