Bikes of Journey Around Rwanda 2021

Lukas Rathgeber

Age: 31

Location: Schwyz, Switzerland

Cap number: 12

Your bike: Standert Erdgeschoss, Duke World Runner 50 with Son Dynamo, Rene Herse Stellacom 38mm, Shimano Grx/Dura Ace/XT (50/34-42/11).

Your key items of kit: Bags from Revelate Designs, Gramm, Restrap & Cordel. Wahoo Roam, Sinewave Beacon Frontlight. Clothing from Ryzon.

Raphael Albrecht

Age: 31

Location: Berlin, Germany

Cap number: 10

Your bike: Votec VRC, Goldsprint wheels, Continental Terra Trail, Rotor Crank 30/46t x Shimano Ultegra 11-33t, SQlab 611 saddle, Redshift dual-position seatpost and Profile Design aero bars. Bags are Apidura framebag (4.0L), Apidura top tube bag (1L) and Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Day Pack (20L).

Your key items of kit: Sinewave Beacon and Wahoo Element Roam.

Ruairi McLoughlin

Age: 31

Location: originally the UK, now living in Rwanda

Cap number: 17

Your bike: 2019 Giant Fathom 1 29” hard tail with 100mm travel and dropper post. Maxxis Ikon 29x2.2” tyres setup tubeless and Shimano SLX 12-speed groupset with 36t chainring and 10-51 cassette. A couple of bar ends still to be added for comfort on the climbs!

Your key items of kit: comfy flip-flops for the evenings and a trusty iPod shuffle with a new library of live music recordings for the journey. Traveling light with en Evoc Enduro backpack and Ortlieb handlebar bag, filled largely with flapjacks.

Jean Eric Habimana

Age: 20

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Cap number: 20

Your bike: Trek Checkpoint Aluminium, Shimano GRX groupset with 46/30T crankset and 11-36 cassette. Wheels are Shimano GRX RX570 with tubeless Schwalbe G-One Allround 40mm tyres.

Your key items of kit: Garmin, jerseys, sunglasses, water bottles, waterproof kit, vitamins, shoes, bicycle night light, socks, gloves, heart rate monitor and power meter.

Sandrine Fraissard

Age: 36

Location: Lyon, France

Cap number: 18

Your bike: WishOne SUB, Grail Stans tubeless, Maxxis ramblers 38 and Shimano GRX RX600 1x11 (40x11/40) groupset.

Eleonora Balbi

Age: 29

Location: In a broken van

Cap number: 7

Your bike: My bike is a Focus Mares CX with Hunt Superdura Dynamo Disc and Panaracer Gravelking SK 32mm tyres. Groupset is Shimano 105, 48-32 in the front and a 11-34 cassette.

Your key items of kit: Suncream. Lots and lots of suncream. My Ortlieb Saddlebag (S) and my Ortlieb Cockpit Pack will carry a rainjacket, a pair of arm and legwarmers, some cash and a general repairkit.

Sacha "Beefstick" Mutel

Age: 26

Location: nowhere actually

Cap number: 3

Your bike: it's a Brother Mehteh, with a GRX 810 groupset (31-48 chainset and 11-32 cassette) and Hope RX4 brakes. DT Swiss C 1800 wheelset with Vittoria Tereno Zero 700x35mm Graphene 2.0 (supposed to be faster and more durable). Shimano SPD for the pedals, they are perfect to open a beer everywhere. I'm using Ortlieb framebag small. Since we have to stay in hotel every night, I'm taking an Ortlieb handlebar pack for casual clothes at the hotel.

Your key items of kit: rain jacket, a fresh pair of socks and an Opinel.

Adrien Liechti

Age: 35

Location: Geneva, Switzerland

Cap number: 2

Your bike: I’m riding the Journey Around Rwanda on my CUBE C62 Carbon gravel bike with a Shimano GRX groupset, Hunt Wheels, Vittoria Terreno tires, SON Dynamo hub, Exposure lights, Sinewave USB charger and Brooks C15 saddle.

Your key items of kit: This is my light race setup. For the Journey Around Rwanda, I will take a small saddle bag that will contain my clothes for the evening.

Jean Ruberwa

Age: 24

Location: Musanze, Rwanda

Cap number: 14

Your bike: Ridley Kanzo Aluminium, Shimano groupset and WTB Byways.

Your key items of kit: Tailfin rack and Apidura Racing frame pack and top tube pack.

Fabian Burri

Age: 30

Location: Bern, Switzerland

Cap number: 11

Your bike: Cannondale Topstone Carbon rolling on HUNT 4season Superdura Discs with son dynamo. Groupset is Shimano GRX Di2 with a 50/34 absoluteBLACK oval chainset and 11/36 Cassette. Tyres are René Herse Steilacoom 38mm Endurance.

Your key items of kit: Aerobars have more possibilities to relax the neck and back and be faster 😉. My key clothes are rain jacket and some clothes to keep me warm even though it's warm here...

Clémence Vandergheynst

Age: 33

Location: Braine l'Alleud, Belgium

Cap number: 19

Your bike: Carbonda frame on Light Bicycle carbon tubeless wheels with Maxiss ramblers 38mm and the groupset is Shimano Ultegra Di2 with 11/32 cassette and 50/34 chainset.

Eline De Schutter

Age: 29

Location: Ghent, Belgium

Cap number: 6

Your bike: Genesis Croix De Fer 20, Shimano Tiagra with SunRace 11/36 cassette and Shimano GRX 46/30 crankset (I know very little about this stuff, so basically just anything my local bike shop owner / mechanic recommended me for this kind of riding) and XT PD-T8000 pedals. Tyres are Schwalbe X-One Allround 33mm.

Your key items of kit: Some good sunscreen, a rain jacket and 3 large water bottles. I'm very happy with my new Restrap stem bag which will be perfect for stuffing bananas, hard boiled eggs and samosas.

Luis Gatti

Age: 31

Location: Berlin/Kigali

Cap number: 30

Your bike: Orbea Avant (M30 Team-D-2019-28 Zoll-Diamant) with Continental GP 5000 28mm tyres.

Innocent Niyireba

Age: 25

Location: Rwanda

Cap number: 5

Your bike: Ridley Kanzo Aluminium with Shimano groupset.

Your key items of kit: Apidura Racing series handlebar mini pack, top tube pack and saddle pack.

Jakob Schüle

Age: 33

Location: Kigali

Cap number: 21

Your bike: Canyon Inflite SLX with Newmen Components Prototype Gravel wheels and Schwalbe G-One Bite 38C tyres with tubeless setup. Shimano Ultegra 11 speed groupset and Rotor cranks with Q-Rings.

Your key items of kit: Restrap Adventure Race frame and sattle bag filled with lots of snacks.

Felipe Aguirre Martinez

Age: 35

Location: Rwanda

Cap number: 16

Your bike: Ridley Kanzo speed 2019, HUNT 4 Season Gravel Disc X-Wide, Panaracer GravelKing SK 38mm, Shimano 105 groupset with GRX rear derailleur and 11-36 SRAM cassette and saddle is Fizik Argo Tempo R3.

Your key items of kit: Redshift ShockStop stem.

Jörn Fischer

Age: 44

Location: Kigali, Rwanda

Cap number: 22

Your bike: Specialized Tricross Comp

Arthur Franzon

Age: 31

Location: Kigali (originally from Paris)

Cap number: 23

Your bike: Canyon Ultimate CF SL 7.0 2021 (carbon) with DT Swiss 1850 wheels and Continental GP 5000 25mm tyres. My groupset is Shimano 105 with disc brakes.

Your key items of kit: riding only on the road, so nothing on the bike 😊.