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?
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.