Denver Alphonse Jr. Gears Up for Top Competitive Cycling in Rwanda

Denver Alphonse Jr., one of Saint Lucia’s leading young athletes, is currently in Rwanda for the UCI Road World Championships.

The African continent is hosting the world’s top cyclists for the first time, with Kigali serving as the backdrop for a historic week of racing.

The UCI Road World Championships are the premier global championships for road bicycle racing, organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale.

These championships include events for road racing and individual time trials, and since 2019, a mixed team relay.

From September 21 to 28, Kigali will host the 2025 UCI Road World Championships, marking a significant milestone as the first time this major event is held in Africa.

Thirteen events are on the program, with five elite world titles up for grabs. Notably, the women’s U23 rainbow jersey will be awarded for the first time in a standalone race, separate from the women’s elite road race.

Headlining the event are Tour de France champions Tadej Pogačar and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot, alongside Olympic double gold medallist Remco Evenepoel and Team USA star Chloé Dygert.

On September 23, Denver competed in the 22-kilometer time trial, to be followed by a challenging 119km road race on September 26. He is ready to deliver an improved performance after his recent experiences in Canada and Barbados.

Despite battling hypothermia previously, and facing an early exit from the Caribbean Junior Championships due to food poisoning, he remains determined.

After those challenges, he confidently stated, “I will Live to fight another day. Every setback is a setup for a comeback.”

At just 18 years old and hailing from La Caye, Dennery, Denver has ramped up his training in preparation for this prestigious event since returning from Barbados.

Earlier this year, the Entrepot Secondary School graduate found success in multiple local races and events in Martinique as a member of a Martiniquan cycling club.

Having departed Saint Lucia last week, Denver made his way to the Great Rift Valley of East Africa via France, and upon arriving in “the land of a thousand hills” on Sunday, he focused on acclimatizing before facing one of the biggest challenges of his cycling career on Tuesday.