The only Rwandan professional cyclist Adrien Niyonshuti will make his return to competition in his home race, the Tour of Rwanda. Having missed most of the season due to illness, the former mountain biker will be backed by a strong team that includes U23 Worlds silver medallist Louis Meintjes.

Rwanda will have a rare presence in the cycling spotlight when the week-long Tour de Rwanda will be hosted from November 17 to 24. The race will benefit from the presence of the country's brightest star, Adrien Niyonshuti who will make his return to racing after an illness-plagued season.

Niyonshuti was diagnosed with deep vein trombosis in February and as a consequence, he still hasn't done a single race in 2013. Having been part of the squad since 2009, the illness was a huge blow as it came just when his MTN Qhubeka team had been upgraded to professional continental status and was set to ride some of the biggest races in the world.

With his quick return to racing after his serious condition, Nyonshuti has once again defied expectations. He has done so several times in the past as he lost 6 brothers in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. He took up cycling a few years later and has gradually risen through the ranks, winning the Tour of Rwanda in 2008 and his national championships in 2010, 2011 and 2012. He even represented his country as a mountain bike at the 2012 London Olympics.

“Adrien started his love for cycling in his national tour and in a weeks time he will make his comeback to racing in the same race,” team principal Douglas Ryder said. “It is poetic and he is really looking forward to being in the peloton again, something that he has missed all year. His motivation is incredibly high, it is so nice to see him happy and healthy again and ready to race.”

Niyonshuti will be backed by a strong team that also includes U23 Worlds silver medallist Louis Meintjes as well as South African champion Jay Thomson, Songezo Jim and Johan Van Zyl.

“As an African registered team we try and support the UCI Africa Tour as much as we can,” Ryder said. “The Tour of Rwanda is also very special to the team because Adrien is from Rwanda. The team we’re sending to support and be with Adrien in the race speaks of the respect his teammaates have for him. We’re excited about his return and thus we’re sending a really strong team in his comeback race in his home country.”

“I am very happy to be taking part in the race,” Niyonshuti said. “It’s a great opportunity and I am really happy that my team is sending our riders to support me in the race. I think it will be a good race for us. The team has big support behind it and it can make Rwanda more famous. There are so many people who watch the race on the side of the roads and this support will be incredible for us. It’s good for Rwandan cycling and it will be good for us if we can win this race."

The Rwandan tour will be the final race for MTN Qhubeka in 2013 and kicks off on Sunday with a 3,5km prologue in Kigali.