Jan Bakelants uses 431km gravel ride to raise funds for ‘proper’ education of girls in Rwanda ahead of Road Worlds

Two weeks from now, and 301 days before the UCI Road World Championships descend on the African continent for the first time, Jan Bakelants will ride his gravel bike on a seven-day challenge in Rwanda. It’s not a race, but a reason to raise funds for youth education in Rwanda. 

In a collaboration with Vélo Afrique and Plan International Belgium, Bakelants will join two dozen other riders on a supported 431km ride with 7,253 metres of elevation gain from east Rwanda through volcanic landscapes, red dirt roads and forests, beginning on November 23. The final day in Kigali is expected to include a segment up the Wall of Kigali, a famous cobbled climb in the UCI stage race Tour du Rwanda that will be part of the 15.1km circuit at the Road Worlds next September.