It’s 1994 and Rwanda, a land locked country on the Eastern side of Africa, just on the Equator, was in the midst of one of the worst genocides in history. 

In 100 days more than 1 million Tutsis were slaughtered, representing about 70% of their population. 

At that time a bicycle = life.  If you had a bicycle you might escape the slaughter.  If you had a bicycle you could try to make your way to safety, too afraid to look back at the staggering and stomach churning displays of man’s inhumanity to man.

A documentary called Rising from the Ashes details how some of those survivors were given a reason to hope by cycling legend Jock Boyer (the first American to enter the Tour de France and  a member of the United States Cycling Hall of Fame) as he helped a fledgling Rwandan cycling team not only get off the ground, but also, amazingly, managing to attend the London Olympics in 2012.  The riders of Team Rwanda gave their countrymen a vision of something greater than themselves and their history; hope for the future.

Scroll forwards to 2017 and the Rwandan Cycling Team will be racing at this year’s inaugural Colorado Classic pro cycling race

Join me as I talk to Jock Boyer about the movie, the team and the race.

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Jock Boyer and Adrian Niyonshuti 

Team Rwanda's Colorado Classic Jersey - Note Rhinos

The Tour de Rwanda - ©Mrjka Boensch Bees

Team Rwanda's Web Site

Rising from the ashes movie (iTunes)

Thorne Research

The Colorado Classic

 

Spiders Will Eat Your Face $0.99 Starring Mike Fallek