{"id":1260,"date":"2025-12-16T12:38:50","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T12:38:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/?p=1260"},"modified":"2025-12-16T12:38:50","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T12:38:50","slug":"85-riders-for-rwandan-epic-mountain-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/2025\/12\/16\/85-riders-for-rwandan-epic-mountain-race\/sports\/","title":{"rendered":"85 Riders for Rwandan EPIC Mountain Race"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Eighty-five riders from 16 countries are expected to compete in the international mountain bike race, known as the Rwandan EPIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eighty-five riders from 16 countries are expected to compete in the international mountain bike race, known as the Rwandan EPIC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The event kicks off on Monday, 1 December 2025, marking its fifth edition since it was first held in Rwanda in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race is set to conclude on Friday, 5 December 2025, covering a total distance of 244.9 kilometers. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Rwandan EPIC Director Simon De Schutter said this edition promises more excitement for mountain biking enthusiasts, emphasizing that the race brings international riders closer to local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda has the largest representation with 18 riders (24%), followed by Spain with 18% as Zambia and Norway to participate for the first time. De Schutter added, \u201cRwandan EPIC is more than a race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It allows participants to connect and admire Rwanda\u2019s natural beauty. In the future, we hope it becomes a platform for Rwandan riders to shine internationally and showcase the growth of mountain biking here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FERWACY Vice President Valentin Bigango praised the race, noting it positions Rwanda as a hub for mountain biking and could help the country host a Mountain Bike World Championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also encouraged locals to support the riders enthusiastically. Key riders include Lukas Baum (Cape EPIC winner), Kenyan Daniel Kiptala, Estonian Rein Taaram\u00e4e, and the 2023 winner Daniel Gathof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race will be contested in four categories: men\u2019s duo, women\u2019s duo, mixed duo, and solo riders for both men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also a special Silverbacks category, where the combined age of team members is over 89 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Race Stages<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 1:<\/strong> Mont Kigali \u2013 8.8 km, 259 m elevation (Start & Finish: Fazenda)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 2: <\/strong>Mont Kabuye \u2013 76.1 km, 1846 m elevation (Start: Nyirangarama; Finish: ARCC)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 3:<\/strong> Twin Lakes \u2013 52.9 km, 883 m elevation (Start: ARCC; Finish: Musanze Town)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 4:<\/strong> Volcanoes \u2013 29.8 km, 514 m elevation (Start & Finish: Kwita Izina Grounds)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 5:<\/strong> Buranga \u2013 77.3 km, 1392 m elevation (Start: Nemba; Finish: Shyorongi)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compared to previous editions, the final stage now ends at Shyorongi, and the third stage concludes in Musanze town instead of ARCC (Africa Rising Cycling Center). Last year\u2019s edition was won by Belgians Axel Baumans and Pierre de Froidmont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The race is set to conclude on Friday, 5 December 2025, covering a total distance of 244.9 kilometers. Speaking to the media on Sunday, Rwandan EPIC Director Simon De Schutter said this edition promises more excitement for mountain biking enthusiasts, emphasizing that the race brings international riders closer to local communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rwanda has the largest representation with 18 riders (24%), followed by Spain with 18% as Zambia and Norway to participate for the first time. De Schutter added, \u201cRwandan EPIC is more than a race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It allows participants to connect and admire Rwanda\u2019s natural beauty. In the future, we hope it becomes a platform for Rwandan riders to shine internationally and showcase the growth of mountain biking here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FERWACY Vice President Valentin Bigango praised the race, noting it positions Rwanda as a hub for mountain biking and could help the country host a Mountain Bike<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Eighty-five riders from 16 countries are expected to compete in the international mountain bike race, known as the Rwandan EPIC. Eighty-five riders from 16 countries […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1260"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1262,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1260\/revisions\/1262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedawnrwanda.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}