Our day began at the Africa Rising training camp with the cyclists of Team Rwanda. The riders were up early to have breakfast before their morning training and I sat with them while they ate large bowls of porridge with a hard boiled egg mixed in. Nathan and Gasore are two of the original riders who appeared in the Rising from Ashes film. They are in their early thirties, ten years older than most of the riders. These veterans play key coaching and leadership roles, and, with strong English and international experience, they interact with us most readily. These men were ten year old kids when their homeland was ripped to shreds by genocide. The riders welcomed us to their morning table without hesitation, perhaps realizing that every visiting Mzungu may be a potential sponsor, or maybe just because they are used to sharing what they have. The cycling project was conceived by Americans and works directly with the Rwandan federation for cycling, an organization that would have little significance without Team Rwanda. There is not a Rwandan Board of directors but the bodies, hearts and minds that push the bikes ever faster, working as a team, are pure Rwanda.
