The remarkable rise of Rwanda's cycling heroes

Land of Second Chances: The Impossible Rise of Rwanda's Cycling Team by Tim Lewis. Yellow Jersey Press, €21.40. Reviewed by Brendan Daly.

Rwandan cyclist Adrien Niyonshuti crossing the finish line at the London Olympics last year. Photo: Getty

Crossing the finish line of the mountain bike event at the London Olympics, Adrien Niyonshuti received an ecstatic ovation. Although he was in 39th place, almost last, and 13 minutes behind the winner, Niyonshuti had scored a stunning victory.

Sixty members of Niyonshuti's family - including six of his siblings - had been brutally murdered alongside 800,000 (one in ten) of his compatriots during the 100-day genocide that gripped Rwanda in 1994 when ...