The run-in to the 2025 World Championships in Rwanda met its latest bump in the road over the weekend when a key test run of the course was curtailed after the final stage of the Tour du Rwanda was cancelled.
The cancellation itself has also proved controversial, with the stoppage reportedly pushed for by the race leader Fabien Doubey, who took the overall win but has been handed a fine and could potentially face disciplinary action.
Stage 7 of the Tour du Rwanda was set to preview some of the hardest parts of the Kigali Worlds course, including the important Mount Kigali. However, the climb was initially taken out of the stage due to wet weather and mud on the only recently paved roads, and then the stage was stopped altogether.
Though Mount Kigali was removed by the organisers due to the weather, the cancellation of the entire stage was more contested, with rival teams alleging that eventual winner Fabien Doubey’s TotalEnergies team effectively halted the stage when others felt that the rain was still safe to ride in.
After part of the stage was neutralised, the stage was set to continue with a shortened route, but Doubey and his teammates came to the front of the peloton and slowed the race, eventually stopping the stage altogether while a breakaway was up ahead, meaning the Frenchman won the race overall.
However, the decision was not unanimous in the peloton, and drew criticism from his rivals, particularly second-placed Henok Mulubrhan (Eritrea) who was only six seconds behind Doubey on the final stage.
"Today’s stage was supposed to be decisive," he said after the race. "I was 100% ready to fight. I knew these climbs well, so I could count on a good result. Throughout the week, I showed consistent performances, won a stage, was on the podium three times, and climbed higher in the general classification each day. But today’s stage was cancelled due to the weather. I don’t think the conditions were bad enough to cancel the stage, but the decision was made. It’s a pity that I didn’t get the chance to fight for victory."
Though Doubey took the win, he was also handed a 200 CHF fine for his conduct after arguing with the race jury, and L’Equipe reports that he could face more disciplinary action and a tougher sanction.
No test run of Mount Kigali
The other fall-out of the stage 7 cancellation is that the peloton was not able to preview the Mount Kigali and Mur de Kigali climbs ahead of the Rwanda World Championships in September.
Mount Kigali is to feature once in the men’s road race in September as the biggest climb of the day, coming between the hilly local circuits. Though the repeated short, sharp ascents of the Côte de Kigali and Mur de Kigali may prove more decisive, Mount Kigali is 5.9km long at 6.8% and takes the peloton to over 1,700m altitude.
L’Equipe reports that representatives from ASO and Golazo – who are co-organising the World Championships in September – were in attendance in Rwanda for the unofficial test event.
However, the riders, directors and organisers left without getting to see what it was like to take a full peloton over the climb.
The road up Mount Kigali has only recently been paved, but the terrain remains susceptible to rain, and it was mud on the road that led organisers to remove the climb from the stage 7 route on Sunday.
September is typically a drier month than March in Kigali, but rain could still affect the men’s road race if it is wet again, as could other weather conditions – temperatures approaching 30 degrees, at altitude, and variable air quality conditions could make the climb tougher.
This is part of the reason why the Rwanda Worlds are being touted as one of the hardest World Championships ever, with the men’s race featuring over 5,400m of climbing across 276km.
Estonia’s Rein Taaramäe, who spends a lot of time in Rwanda, identified the 6km Mount Kigali ascent in the middle of the course as a potentially decisive factor.
“Mount Kigali is a key moment of the race, as this bastard is long and steep with two steps also, the first averaging over 10%, with the last section being over 15%, some sections closer to 20%. With only one ascent of Mont Kigali in the middle of race, it is long and steep enough that a team might try something here,” he told Cyclingnews.
Sunday’s stage cancellation also meant that the peloton missed the Mur de Kigali, which will feature once in the men’s race. The Côte de Kigali and the Côte de Kimihurura which feature multiple times throughout the route weren’t in this year’s Tour du Rwanda.
Another worry for Rwanda?
The loss of a key Mount Kigali dry run is the latest in a string of hiccups for the World Championships in Rwanda.
Though it’s set to be a landmark event, and the first time Worlds have taken place in Africa, various concerns have arisen since the event was announced.
Some national federations have already pulled out of the event, citing high costs, and most recently, ongoing conflict in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo has called the safety and viability of the event into question.
The Tour du Rwanda went ahead without any issues relating to the conflict, but the European Parliament has called for the World Champions to be cancelled amid reports of Rwanda’s involvement in the conflict.
The UCI have said that they do not have alternative plans for hosting the World Championships, with David Lappartient confirming there is 'no plan B' in an interview with Cyclingnews.
