Fourteen riders will represent Rwanda at the 2026 UCI Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada, as the country returns to the competition a year after hosting the event for the first time in Africa.
The seven men and seven women were selected by national team coach Felix Sempoma from a 19-rider training group that spent nearly a month at the UCI Regional Satellite Centre in Musanze. The delegation left Kigali late Wednesday for Canada.
Shemu Nsengiyumva will race in the elite men’s category, while Kevin Nshutiraguma and Shadrack Ufitimana will compete in the under-23 event.
The junior men’s squad includes Jonathan Muhawenimana, Pacifique Byusa, Bryan Ishimwe and Jackson Nkurikiyinka.
Among the women, Diane Ingabire, Xaverine Nirere and Claudette Nyirarukundo will compete in the elite category. Mariate Byukusenge and Jazilla Mwamikazi are entered in the under-23 race.
Donata Akimana, 17, and Yvonne Masengesho, 18, complete the team in the junior women’s category.
Montreal will host the Sept. 20-27 championships, the 99th edition of the event. Kigali hosted the 2025 edition, marking the first time the world championships were held on African soil.
Eleven members of this year’s team also competed in Kigali, giving them another opportunity to race at cycling’s top global event.
