Rwandan Epic 2025: 85 riders from 16 countries set for mountain bike showdown

Rwanda will welcome 85 riders from 16 countries as it hosts the fifth edition of the Rwandan Epic on Monday, December 1.

This race strengthens the country’s reputation as one of Africa’s top destinations for elite mountain biking. The week-long race will kick off with an opening ceremony at Fazendha Sengha in Kigali, with riders starting the first stage of the 2025 competition after the ceremony.

Organisers say this year’s group of competitors is among the most competitive yet. It shows how the event has quickly grown from a local race to an important one on the global mountain-bike calendar.

“Our goal was to let the world discover Rwanda as a cycling country. Not just as a road cycling country, but as an adventurous mountain bike cycling country, and I think we can say that we have succeeded with that,” said Race Director Simon De Schutter.

“We want to improve the level of Rwandan mountain bikers…and since our first edition, we can see that the level has increased a lot, and we have some Rwandan cyclists who now say I’m not doing road cycling, I want to become a professional mountain biker. This is new to Rwanda.”

FERWACY Vice President for Administration and Finance, Valentin Bigango, pointed out the race’s importance for Rwanda’s sports community.

“It is always important to have partners who bring new races or products of racing to our country. This Rwanda Epic race has always been an important one because it comes with the mountain bike discipline, which is not really big in Rwanda,” he said.

Photo: Valentin Bigango, the Vice President for Administration and Finance at FERWACY.

The 2025 edition features a remarkable list of competitors, including Cape Epic winner Lukas Baum, Estonian champion Rein Taaramäe, former Rwandan Epic champion Daniel Gathof, and Daniel Kiptala, one of Kenya’s top mountain-bike athletes.

They will compete alongside 18 Rwandan cyclists and a strong group of amateur teams.

Riders will face a tough multi-stage course that crosses some of Rwanda’s most beautiful and challenging landscapes. The race includes several competitive divisions: Duo Men, Duo Women, Mixed Team, and Solo. There will be daily stage winners and overall General Classification standings.

The Rwandan Epic, which is recognised as Rwanda’s leading mountain-bike stage race, is expected to attract international visitors, boost tourism and hospitality, and give local athletes valuable experience at high-level competition.

The race also supports Rwanda’s long-term goals in cycling development, infrastructure improvement, and economic growth through sports.

Photo: Rwandan Epic Director, Simon De Schutter.