Party Time

Eyes on the Party

First Woman Back

Into the Fourth Night

More Finishers on the Fourth Morning

A Dramatic Victory

Morning on the Third Day

Into the Second Night

Morning Breaks on Day Two

The Race Begins

The finishers' party is in full flow and just one dot is still moving. That is the Bartmuss pair (#55), who are currently around 20km from the finish. It seems likely now that they will make it towards the end of the festivities, but I’m sure they will be cheered in and at least they won’t miss the party entirely.

In fact, most people made it back yesterday, with just one pair having arrived this afternoon. That was Caglidil-Kollenz (#3), who finished at 16:00 local time, giving themselves a few hours to freshen up before the party began.

Sadly, it appears that a replacement wheel did not materialise for Max Rosenfeld (#4). This is perhaps not that surprising given the deadline he was up against. But it meant that he and his brother Julius were forced to scratch at CP4.

That’s all from me now. As ever, it has been enthralling watching the riders tackle this beautiful route. Congratulations to all those who finished (68 currently) and bad luck to all those who were taken out by mechanicals, injury or illness. Until next year!


As the race enters its sixth day, the focus now is on who can make it back in time for the party. With the finishers racking up, the numbers still out on the road are getting ever smaller. But they all still have until tomorrow evening to make the finishers’ party and it looks promising for most.

We have a cluster of riders between CP4 and the finish, all of whom should roll in with a day to spare. However, those yet to make CP4, which closes at midday today, will have to push a little harder. Our lanterne rouge is the Bartmuss pair (#55) and they will need a big effort to make it in time, but it’s not out of the question yet.

One rider who is battling against more than time is Max Rosenfeld (#4), who is riding with his brother Julius. He apparently hit a pothole before CP4 and has damaged the rim of his front wheel. Petr Vilimovsky (#6) finished yesterday and has offered Max his wheel to use, but I’m yet to hear how it will get to him and if it’s even compatible.

![426391757 7626703137342472 6952336440535487357 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2rA3hxX7By2d1BYUwENVF0/dd9379d4ebe67ec5762dfea86cd53054/426391757_7626703137342472_6952336440535487357_n.jpg)

There was more drama during the night for another pair, Morris-Burgess (#27). They came across a woman needing medical attention at around 02:00. They stopped to help and called an ambulance for her, waiting until several locals woke up and joined them. Huge respect to both for taking the time to do this and for acting decisively despite the unfamiliar environment.

Back to the finish, we have had several podiums completed over the last 24 hours. Perhaps most notably, the pairs podium is all mixed pairs, which is quite unusual. Żuchowicz-Jacak (#63) were followed by Val-Xinxo (#97) and Steurbaut-Waes (#68).

The fact that all three made the overall top 20 shows just how competitive this field was as well. I don’t have any info on our third pair, but I’ve learned that Val-Xinxo have previously  won the pairs category at both Seven Serpents 2022 and Transcordilleras 2023, which certainly explains their strong riding!

![Screenshot 2024-02-09 092813](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/53ymjgmBYTpOFKqeyv02BZ/86fa63862c7f34faf23842e726e9985e/Screenshot_2024-02-09_092813.jpg)

Finally, it’s worth noting the low scratch rate overall for the race this year, especially when the risk of a race-ending mechanical or illness seems to be fairly substantial. Credit goes to the riders for this, but also to the organisers. They obviously encourage everyone to keep riding if they can and try to finish, but it’s also nice to see relatively lenient CP cut-offs that allow for riders having an off day. 

That’s all from me this morning. As things are beginning to quieten down, I may not post again until tomorrow but I will see how things pan out.


Just after 06:00 local time, Ariane Richter (#23) arrived back in Kigali to take first place in the women’s race. She had held a decent but never comfortable lead since the second day and rode a steady pace that never seemed to waver. She finished in style, riding through the final night to arrive in Kigali this morning.

![425325793 753007099761256 7458264786213699434 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3x4oRD7z3MBnYXk2z4ZFk0/7f2520cb996a9c45bedf9c30ea0df598/425325793_753007099761256_7458264786213699434_n.jpg)

Congratulations to Ariane on an impressive performance. It looks like she has just been joined at the finish by Marie Gest (#76), whose ride was similarly well paced and relentless. Jenny Tough (#70) is a little further back but should finish later today to complete the women’s podium.

The finishers are now starting to rack up and, as expected, Mozes Dufitumukiza (#91) was one of them this morning. His sense of relief and happiness was visible from the photos and he incredibly managed to finish in 11th place in the men’s race, despite his unfortunate start.

![Screenshot 2024-02-08 084353](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3i9gLTsR1wmJompMgZa3zr/e5a7251f28b6223ea1b8e6883afc4de3/Screenshot_2024-02-08_084353.jpg)

Slightly ahead of Mozes was Owen Searle (#60), who started as a pair with Matt Brokenshire but was forced to continue alone after Matt dropped out with a mechanical. Matt was the more experienced half of the pair and certainly the one with local knowledge, but Owen pressed on regardless and finished in an impressive 13th place overall.

![Screenshot 2024-02-08 084335](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4cMPRemmvgPaCBv9vyH1kS/e96e3f4e4834755452fb650a6c490b98/Screenshot_2024-02-08_084335.jpg)

That’s all from me this morning. Real life commitments mean an update tonight is unlikely but I’ll be back tomorrow morning if not.

With Ariane Richter (#23) still 120km from Kigali, I don’t think I will be awake when she finishes. However, Marie Gest (#76) appears to have stopped to rest at CP4, so unless something even more extraordinary than yesterday happens, it looks like the battle for the women’s race is decided.

We have now seen our first Rwandan finisher and it was Innocent Niyireba (#93), who took 6th place overall and 5th in the men’s race. Given what happened to him earlier in the race, this was an incredible result. It makes you wonder just where he could have finished without losing those seven hours (and all the accompanying stress). 

Further back, there is another Rwandan rider has been busy putting some demons to rest after a nightmarish start to the race. Mozes Dufitumukiza (#91) suffered a bad mechanical just after setting out that forced him to return to Kigali in search of a mechanic.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-02-07 at 15.06.08](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1qjrBSvXjQJSmRggjgljQr/9ee882932079d75b429329a0b40d40f3/WhatsApp_Image_2024-02-07_at_15.06.08.jpeg)

To make things worse, exactly the same thing happened to him during the Evolution Gravel Race last year, so he was understandably upset by such bad luck striking again in what is only his second big race. Fortunately, he has recovered admirably from this early setback and is now at CP4, with the finish beckoning and the top 15 in reach.

It’s an impressive ride from one of the only Rwandans taking part without a racing background. Mozes is a barista at Tugende, the finishing location, but is clearly very capable on a bike as well!

Another story of a delayed start that we touched on previously was Matt Kreitzmann (#61), whose mechanical woes meant he lost the entire first day. Despite this, Matt flew off the line at his second attempt and has maintained a strong pace since. He is now closing on CP4 and could well finish in the top 30 if he presses on.

![425385148 1035573804195026 1008367932906363277 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3v1CWvvcRMU8kLbVlqktXJ/b1878cf8bfaa26762359843377c37848/425385148_1035573804195026_1008367932906363277_n.jpg)

As the remaining riders all pass by Nyungwe and towards CP4, the chat in the rider group appears to focus mostly on the trail of lost cycling kit they have left behind. Items include bone-conduction headphones, a full toolkit and a Wahoo Elemnt Roam. I know the race encourages riders to bring donations for local cyclists, but I don’t think this is quite what they had in mind…

That’s all from me tonight. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to bring you more updates on who has finished overnight.

I hope everyone has recovered from yesterday’s excitement, least of all Vincent, who is presumably having a nice long sleep. Let’s start with a couple of scratch updates that I missed last night.

Sadly, Cristian Auriemma (#69) was forced to retire from the race yesteday after crashing and damaging his GRX Di2. With no way to fix it, he would have had to ride the remaining 400km single speed and understandably chose not to do this.

Michael Kneip (#52) also scratched after crashing into a cow! I’ve been reassured that both the cow and Michael are fine, although his bike fared worse. The handlebars snapped in two, making continuing completely impossible.

Back in Kigali, we now have more finishers trickling in and the podium was completed overnight. Benjamin Schmetz (#96) arrived just after 06:00 local time, proving right whoever predicted he was likely to do well.

![Screenshot 2024-02-07 092554](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/53UBwgo03PEA7pkxM1Phne/29d1adf58f53ab5c35ccb1464a81d537/Screenshot_2024-02-07_092554.jpg)

And just 90 minutes behind him was Kenneth Karaya (#101), who took some time last night to rest and recharge after being forced to relinquish the lead. Kenneth will undoubtedly be disappointed but still rode a really strong race and provided a huge amount of entertainment to those following. I’m sure he will be back again.

![Screenshot 2024-02-07 092651](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2LAaveStg1dnKJxi7GYDBO/3776cd9248829c25706c91f53a585e9d/Screenshot_2024-02-07_092651.jpg)

We have also seen the first pair finish this morning, coming in a couple of hours after Kenneth. Urszula Żuchowicz and Kamil Jacak (#63) have set a fearsome pace throughout and other pairs have simply not been able to keep up. At this point, it looks possible they may win by half a day or more.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-02-07 at 09.28.53](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6Yw5HXHq7xqVVT7xtcKG5y/43c4441691b91d759414d4f7255d3354/WhatsApp_Image_2024-02-07_at_09.28.53.jpeg)

In the women’s race, Ariane Richter (#23) has maintained her lead overnight as she passed through Nyungwe Forest. But Marie Gest (#76) remains not far behind and looks like she may have closed the gap a little. With still around 250km left to ride for Ariane, we could be in for another exciting finish. After all, the gap is looking very similar to the one we had at this point between Kenneth and Vincent!

The rest of the riders are now mostly spread between Gisenyi and Nyungwe, tackling this very hilly and slow-going section. Heavy rain was reported yesterday by several riders, but it looks like the sun is out today.

That’s all from me this morning. I’ll be back this evening, possibly to coincide with the first woman finishing in Kigali.

We have a winner. And it’s a Kenyan rider. But it’s not the Kenyan rider we had all been expecting this morning.

Today has been an incredibly dramatic one at the front of the race. Kenneth Karaya (#101) was the first rider to make it to CP4 but not before he had missed a turning and overshot, losing an hour of his lead. Despite this, you might have assumed from the tracking that he still had a comfortable margin.

But this is where the dots don’t tell the full story. Kenneth had ridden through two nights without rest and was beginning to suffer the consequences. As we all know, decision-making is key in a race like this. And he will now be ruing his choice to press on from CP4 without recharging, probably both literally and metaphorically.

Just a few hours after leaving the checkpoint, he found himself in falling darkness without lights or a working cycle computer. He was forced to hop on the back of a motorbike taxi (as allowed by the rules) in search of a place to recharge.

![Screenshot 2024-02-06 224203](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5Ocf9WTnptHUBo7Q6obwJ2/bb989e1ada2c3575994175843dbebcde/Screenshot_2024-02-06_224203.jpg)

This sudden turn of events happened with just 130km of the route left, allowing Vincent Chege Kibinu (#102) to snatch the lead.

And while it may seem cruel on Kenneth after such strong riding for over two days, let’s not overlook the metronomic pace and relentless chasing shown by Vincent. Even when the gap looked far too big at such a late stage, he kept pushing and never gave up.

And so thanks to that tenacity, Vincent has claimed victory in the race. Arriving in Kigali at just before 01:00 local time, he becomes the first African winner of the men’s and overall race. What an achievement and what a ride.

![423907ad-3163-4249-b75b-c0fa85b46809](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/HLwE37E74qOmsPZzYOsbE/9e4096ed254cc17f1a5814db7087479f/423907ad-3163-4249-b75b-c0fa85b46809.jpg)

As a European, I’m not well-placed to comment on the significance of an African winner, so I thought I’d ask for some local insight. And who better to talk to than Violette Neza, a Rwandan rider and winner of the women’s race last year? This is what Violette said:

*“For sure, this will inspire many more Africans to take part in the race. Kenya and Rwanda are very different countries, but Rwandans will still be happy to see a fellow African win this race.”*

Let’s hope Violette is right and we will see even more African riders in future editions. Certainly, since I participated in 2020, the race has evolved and grown a huge amount, drawing in more Rwandan riders in particular. Vincent's victory feels like the next step in this evolution.

That’s all from me this evening. It has been a bit of a late one, so I will update you all on the rest of the field tomorrow morning.

Edit: You may notice that Vincent's track on the map looks very odd. That is because his tracker was swapped with a car one during the race, so the data has become mixed up.


Good morning and welcome to the third day of this year’s race. As expected, the pace definitely slowed overnight, with sleep becoming a priority for many of the riders who pushed hard through the first night.

Reports from the road are that Kenneth Karaya (#101) had a tough night going through Nyungwe. For those who aren’t familiar with this stretch, it is an impenetrable cloud forest. The climb up is asphalted but never-ending. Monkeys jump from the trees and cross the road, while soldiers hide in the shadows every few hundred metres due to the border’s proximity. I rode it during the day, but it must be an eerie place to ride at night. And cold too if it rains.

![Screenshot 2024-02-06 080158](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4uv4REo9qiUxbBUfk1da3N/a7eaa15922c4bf250c3b78350629ee1c/Screenshot_2024-02-06_080158.jpg)

Therefore, the gap between Kenneth and Vincent Chege Kibinu (#102) has shrunk quite a bit, so we could be in for a nail-biting final 200km. And let’s not rule out the chasers either, although the gap behind Vincent ought to be enough at this point.

![Screenshot 2024-02-06 080128](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/PoBYiNw1lkuIt5h1dPSFc/6ffec40966b5a4cb3a0e7913d54f8fea/Screenshot_2024-02-06_080128.jpg)

Meanwhile, Ariane Richter (#23) is continuing her strong pace at the front of the women’s race. She left CP3 earlier this morning, having stopped to get a few hours of rest. Given the huge amount of climbing between there and CP4, that is a smart choice. Marie Gest (#76) is now closing on CP3, while Jenny Tough’s (#70) party pace is still enough to put her slightly further back in third place. 

There are reports of more rain overnight, including torrential showers on the gravel sector after CP3. This will have undoubtedly dampened spirits and may mean today is also a relatively slow day for most of the riders.

One thing we haven’t seen much of yet is the now traditional complaints about surfaces at a gravel race. However, it does seem that the new gravel sector around CP2 is very rough, so the first grumblings from riders have emerged as the tired midpack gets to experience it. As the organiser of an off-road event with wildly varying surfaces, I have little sympathy - it's all part of the adventure! 

![Screenshot 2024-02-06 080228](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4dRTcs9dVHbCPoa4B5JvZf/aa1a5781f2cfa41232ceedbe5c3f8eb2/Screenshot_2024-02-06_080228.jpg)

Finally, I’ve just received news that Matt Brokenshire (half of pair #60) is out of the race due to a damaged wheel, with a log bridge claiming another victim. His other half, Owen Searle, will continue solo from where they are, around 600km in.

That’s all from me for now and I’ll be back later, likely when we have a first finisher. But who will that be?


After the frenetic pace and constant drama of day one, today has seemed to be a slightly quieter one. But this often happens as riders find their rhythm and the initial surge becomes a constant grind.

Having said that, one person who will be happy with a quiet day is Innocent Niyireba (#93). Anyone following the tracking closely will have spotted he slipped back a significant distance during the night. The race Instagram posted an explanation earlier today:

*“Passing CP2 in 2nd position he planned to ride through the night. Around 1am however, some drunks stopped him side of the road, pulled him of his bike, and thought it would be funny to ride his bike away into nowhere as fast as they could.*

*Police was informed and the person who did it was found after some hours, however the bike was MIA. After hours with the police, Innocent went to sleep at 4am, to be woken up at 6am that his bike has been found in a corn field in a village, lights and GPS still on.*

*After quite some police paperwork, he started his race again at 8am, having lost about 7 hours (but having slept at least 2)”*

![425133480 1050804326200390 1838613542586302790 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7s0eClI6xd0MKLjPaIjMc2/12fa0cd310462b5bbf9710bb93b44250/425133480_1050804326200390_1838613542586302790_n.jpg)

What a crazy night for Innocent! It’s amazing that he is pushing on after that ordeal, let alone battling for a top-five place still.

At the front of the race, Kenneth Karaya (#101) is continuing his relentless forward progress, having entered the cool cloud forests of Nyungwe National Park this evening. Vincent Chege Kibinu (#102) remains some way back but continues to hold a big advantage over the chasing riders.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-02-05 at 04.12.47](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5ql9nc9v1ouziT9UHbEVfl/2a1283c3fa56fbb6e73b6215d632eb02/WhatsApp_Image_2024-02-05_at_04.12.47.jpeg)

Amongst the chasing pack, we have some new names making an appearance. Żuchowicz and Jacak (#63) are a mixed pair and have quietly made their way into fourth place overall at the time of writing.

This is strong riding for a pair and even their rivals, Brokenshire and Searle, are impressed, with Matt Brokenshire commenting, “Very impressed with their teamwork and bike handling skills in the dark - very very strong pairing!!”

![WhatsApp Image 2024-02-05 at 15.10.21](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Actr4n4wOqiHBpIDbLzB8/02d3767eec2c2dd4192f542b61f76cc5/WhatsApp_Image_2024-02-05_at_15.10.21.jpeg)

Further back, several riders have encountered their first rain of the race and it has even led to a landslip half-blocking one of the roads. Riders reported they were slightly delayed but able to get through. However, if the rain continues into the night, expect to see much slower progress than last night. 

There should also be an honourable mention today for Matt Kretzmann (#61), whose mechanical yesterday meant he effectively began a day behind everyone else. Despite this, he has already begun passing riders and is closing on CP2!

That’s all from me this evening. I think I can safely say we’re not going to see a finisher overnight, but it will be interesting to see just how long the front two can sustain this pace and whether any better-rested riders will start to close the gap.  


Good morning, it’s time for a quick update this morning, as there has been a fair amount of action overnight. Most notably, the front of the race has changed pretty significantly, as you always expect on the first night.

Kenneth Karaya (#101) remains in the lead but has opened up a gap of around 40km to Vincent Chege Kibinu (#102). There is then an even larger gap of around 70km back to Benjamin Schmetz (#36) in third. With Kenneth now over halfway and closing on CP3, this is looking more and more like we have an all-Kenyan title fight on our hands.

It’s unclear whether any of the top three have stopped to rest, as the tracking doesn’t make that easy to spot. But given their progress, I’m assuming that Kenneth and Vincent have had a micro nap at most. Sleep strategy for both will be key from here on.

In the women’s race, it’s sad news for Violette Neza (#7), who has succumbed to illness after her fast start. She is joined by Sarah Ruggins (#66), who shared on Instagram that she was violently ill beside the road yesterday and hasn’t been able to recover. That means Ariane Richter (#23) holds a comfortable lead and is currently at CP2.

![Screenshot 2024-02-05 080816](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1kkE14XBwDgBemsVX3iP4V/c2c19f6856bdaec6574db6f95f685487/Screenshot_2024-02-05_080816.jpg)

Guillaume de Spoelberch (#78) was towards the front of the race for most of yesterday, but has had to scratch after his wheel slipped between the gaps of a Rwandan log bridge, damaging it beyond repair.

Other scratches overnight include Erik Arnewing (#65) due to knee pain, Delphine Herbage (#47) due to heat exhaustion, Eric Nduwayo (#92) due to illness and Jouannic-Appavou (#54) due to a broken bike.

At 05:00 local time today, the riders rolled out from Kigali. Joining them was Violette Neza (#7), last year’s winner of the women’s race. After initially not intending to ride due to a recent illness and a lack of training, she had a last-minute change of heart. In her words, “My legs might not be great, but my mind is OK, I'll ride and see what happens.”

As expected, the new gravel sector and the slightly later start have slowed things down a little, but the pace has still been relentless throughout the first day, with a cool and misty morning aiding this.

![Screenshot 2024-02-04 193036](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/oZeAq8zF4dOwQgJKoNclg/faf1e3dfdf28ed5fc73b643eb4f2db25/Screenshot_2024-02-04_193036.jpg)

Kenneth Karaya (#101) was the first to make it to CP1, a couple of hours behind last year’s times. After him, the riders began to appear thick and fast, with many of the names I mentioned yesterday making up the top 10.

And only a few minutes further back was Violette, whose late entry has really shaken up the women’s race. At CP1 she already had a healthy lead on Ariane Richter (#23), with Jenny Tough (#70) further back and apparently not in full race mode for this one. More recently, Violette’s tracker hasn’t updated for a few hours, so it’s not clear if she is still ahead.

![Screenshot 2024-02-04 192926](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3Wp6F8lC2oiwywaNWKLCcI/be58772999e2fe2b50d7ccc3eac92438/Screenshot_2024-02-04_192926.jpg)

But before riders had even reached CP1, there was drama aplenty on the road. Several riders had bad mechanicals on the startline, whilst Matt Kretzmann (#61) made it 40km before a damaged wheel forced him to return to Kigali. He then had the challenge of finding a mechanic who would work on a Sunday, but has apparently managed and will continue tomorrow.

Sadly, the race ended very early for Holger Thiessen (#30), who suffered a bad crash that necessitated hospital treatment. I’m assured he will be fine but has suffered some facial injuries. Similarly, the race is over for Malgorzata Warelich (#62), who had to stop due to severe knee pain.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-02-04 at 10.42.03](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/71tWAJH8jh3GFQ9tVbOt7M/8595ea729202b45ee21f91bc9ceeb46c/WhatsApp_Image_2024-02-04_at_10.42.03.jpeg)

They are far from the only two suffering, as several other riders have reported going down with stomach bugs either just before the start or during day one. Hopefully, they will recover and push on when feeling better. 

In the pairs race, Brockenshire and Searle (#60) are setting a fearsome pace and were actually in the first 10 riders to make CP1. They continue to push on and have already opened up a decent lead on those behind.

Similarly, Kenneth Karaya (#101) is now also beginning to grow a gap to the riders behind as he approaches CP2. The next six are quite closely bunched, but I expect it all to change as we enter the first night. 


Rob Gardiner

Tracking and commentary for the 2024 Race Around Rwanda from our community of experts.

Race Around Rwanda 2024 Tracking and Commentary

The Race Around Rwanda is back. 2023 saw riders flock from around the world to tackle the 1000km race around the Land of 1000 Hills. This one is for the fast graveleurs.

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