East Africa's premier stage race
Tour du Rwanda
The Tour du Rwanda brings world-class stage racing to the high-altitude roads of East Africa, where climbing legs and tactical patience decide the overall.
- Location
- 🇷🇼 Rwanda
- When
- Late February
- Course
- Stage Race
- Most recent winner
- 🇩🇪 Moritz Kretschy (2026)
- Category
- Men’s Continental
About Tour du Rwanda
The Tour du Rwanda is an eight-day cycling stage race held each February across Rwanda's rolling highlands. It draws continental teams and a handful of WorldTour squads to one of Africa's most competitive and best-organized races, with stages that rarely finish flat.
First held in 1988, the race has grown from a regional event into a fixture on the continental calendar.
This is the most important stage race on the African calendar and a proving ground for climbers who can handle altitude, heat, and relentless terrain. The race has grown into a genuine talent pipeline, with strong organization, enthusiastic crowds, and stages that reward patience and power in equal measure. It offers a rare chance to see stage racing in a region where the sport is still building its infrastructure but already producing world-class riders.
Tour du Rwanda winners
| Year | Winner |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 🇩🇪Moritz Kretschy |
| 2025 | 🇫🇷Fabien Doubey |
| 2024 | 🇬🇧Joseph Blackmore |
| 2023 | 🇪🇷Henok Mulubrhan |
| 2022 | 🇪🇷Natnael Tesfatsion |
| 2021 | 🇪🇸Cristian Rodriguez |
2026 results
This edition is complete.
Tour du Rwanda route
The race is won in the mountains. Most editions include multiple summit finishes or stages with significant elevation gain, and the parcours rarely offers a flat day to recover. The climbs are not always long by European standards, but they come in quick succession, and the altitude compounds the effort. Time gaps open on the steep finishes, and the race typically rewards riders who can climb repeatedly rather than those who peak once. Sprinters occasionally take a stage, but the overall is almost always decided by whoever can sustain power at altitude across a week of climbing. Expect the general classification to tighten or fracture on the queen stage, usually positioned in the second half of the race, and expect late attacks on short, punchy ascents where positioning matters as much as raw watts.
What shapes the race
Race type
Eight-day stage race through Rwanda, the most important cycling event in East Africa.
Altitude and climbing
Rwanda hills and altitude create a natural climbing test that has produced professional African talent.
Calendar position
February. An early-season race that showcases African cycling to the world.
Signature landmarks
Rwanda hills, Lake Kivu, and the Wall of Kigali.
- Climb
Wall of Kigali
The sharp urban climb in the capital that serves as a signature stage finish.
- Terrain
Rwandan hills
The Land of a Thousand Hills provides relentless climbing throughout the race.
- Setting
Lake Kivu
Stages along the great lake in western Rwanda offer dramatic scenery.
History
Iconic victories
Natnael Tesfatsion
Won in 2022, part of the growing pipeline of East African talent developed through African racing.
Henok Mulubrhan
Won in 2023, another Eritrean champion on Rwandan roads.
Joseph Areruya
Multiple victories as a local Rwandan hero, representing the race role in developing domestic talent.
Eras and records
Africa premier stage race, running since 1988 through the Land of a Thousand Hills.
Heritage
Running since 1988, the Tour du Rwanda has become Africa premier stage race.
Talent pipeline
The race has launched multiple African riders into professional European careers.