Ray Lewis and Adrien Niyonshuti Two Iconic Athletes Meet at the Maryland Cycling Classic |
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Over Labor Day Weekend, Adrien Niyonshuti, a two-time Olympian and original member of Team Rwanda Cycling, attended the Maryland Cycling Classic as an Ambassador for the event and the sport. The Maryland Cycling Classic is the only UCI.Pro race in the US and its inaugural run was a massive success.
The success of MCC stemmed not only from its World Tour, Pro Continental, and Continental international teams lineup but from their desire to bring diversity and community to the event. The race was a one-day event on Sunday afternoon, culminating in a four-day celebration of community and the love of the sport.
Thursday afternoon, a Bike Jam was held in Patterson Park in downtown Baltimore. Adrien and his fellow Ambassadors, Rahsaan Bahati, Freddy Rodriguez, Bobby Julich, Nelson Vails, and Mari Holden, rode around the park with kids of all ages. During the presentation, Adrien spoke briefly about his life in Rwanda, the tragedy of the genocide, and his rise up the ranks of the sport, thanks to Jock Boyer coming to Rwanda in 2006. Ray Lewis, from the Baltimore Ravens and two-time Super Bowl Champion, was visibly moved by Adrien's story. The young, inspirational Baltimore mayor, Brandon Scott, exhibited the power of bringing the community together with his speech and presence on the bike!
Friday, Adrien and Kimberly attended the Press Conference and the Team Presentation party at the Inner Harbor. Saturday morning, Adrien, the Ambassadors, and Ray Lewis participated in the 100km ride to benefit a local charity. The pinnacle of the lead-up to the race was the Night of Champions, held Saturday night, featuring the unveiling of portraits of Adrien, Freddy, Mari, and Nelson by artist Lee Greene. Each recipient spoke about the importance of diversity and opportunity in the sport. This was followed by a panel emceed by Rahsaan and featuring the Ambassadors, Kimberly Coats, Brendon Quirk, CEO of USA Cycling, and Milt Sharpe from Black People Ride Bikes.
And, of course, the race! Sunday saw some of the best professional racing on American soil since COVID. In the end, Sep Vanmarcke, from Israel Premier Tech, took the win.
But then....it was about so much more than a bike race... |
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Lee Greene Portrait of Adrien Niyonshuti Being Made Available |
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Lee Greene is a businessman turned artist. He has graciously made his portrait of Adrien available to raise money for the Adrien Niyonshuti Cycling Academy (ANCA). The original, numbered, and autographed prints and NFTs will be available in the coming weeks. We will send out information on how to support ANCA and own a piece of this beautiful artwork. |
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Speaking of Adrien... He's Coming to the Good Dirt Ride October 15, 2022 |
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The Good Dirt Ride is celebrating its 15th Anniversary this year ON October 15th, the day of our event! Over the last 15 years, the Good Dirt Ride has supported our efforts in developing African cycling and putting school children on bicycles with World Bicycle Relief and Qhubeka. This year we have a SPECIAL announcement we will share in the coming weeks to provide bikes to local school children as well!
Adrien Niyonshuti will be riding his second Good Dirt Ride this year. He'll be riding the 25-mile course, so here's your chance to ride with a two-time Rwandan Olympian (MTB and Road) and the only Rwandan to race at the World Tour level with Team Dimension Data.
Get all the details and register HERE. |
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