'That was really, really long' - Meet the rider who finished last in the Paris Olympics road race
Charles Kagimu was the only person from the early breakaway to complete the course, just a week after he was bedbound with illness
There was a moment, over half an hour after Remco Evenepoel had crossed the line to win the Paris Olympics road race, when the crowds in the stands at Trocadéro erupted into cheers.
Riders halted their post-race interviews, and looked back over their shoulders in the media zone. Photographers, who had left their finish line positions, swivelled on their feet, pointing their cameras back towards the Eiffel Tower. Some rose onto their tiptoes to try and see the source of the commotion.
The roar, they quickly discovered, had been for Charles Kagimu. The 25-year-old crossed the line alone in Paris, wearing shorts salty with sweat, and a white Uganda jersey. Of the 90 riders who started the race, Kagimu was the last one home, over four minutes adrift of his nearest competitor, finishing in 77th place.
He lifted his left hand from his bars, and saluted the masses as he rolled across the line. "They gave me a lot of motivation to finish this race," he said. "It was a really crazy atmosphere."
The Ugandan rode most of the city-centre finishing circuit by himself. With a determination to complete the race, he found himself willed on by the atmosphere in Montmartre, Paris's dainty tourist district, which had been transformed into a Flemish berg for the day, swollen six fans deep at the roadside.
"I was at the front for almost 190km," Kagimu said, recalling the hours he had spent in the breakaway. "It was quite nice to get a head start and also to ride a pace that suited us really well. It's a pity that some of the guys weren't really pushing on, but you know, that's how cycling is. In the end, I'm really happy that I managed to finish the race."
Born in the capital city of Kampala, Kagimu turned to cycling ten years ago as a means to commute to school. "Then I found a few guys who were racing, and I joined them," he recalled.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
The Ugandan now rides for a non-professional Dutch cycling club, Ride United, and won his first event last year in the African Continental Championships time trial. The Olympics road race, at over 272km long, and with 2,800m elevation, was one of his most difficult to date.
"I think it’s the longest road race I've ever done," he said. "The race was really, really long."
The afternoon was made tougher still by a bout of illness he had been fighting for the past week. "After the opening ceremony, I was really sick," Kagimu said. The Ugandan was his country's flagbearer on the boat across the Seine, an opportunity that had him bursting with pride, but standing in the rain for hours.
"On Saturday, I literally couldn't get out of bed. We worked really hard to get around, but after such a sickness really close to the race, for sure I lost a lot," he said. Pulling out, however, was never an option. "I had to race," he continued. "There was nothing else to do apart from doing the race, and giving it my all."
It was that attitude, that doggedness, that the crowds by Trocadéro noticed in Kagimu as he came across the line. It had taken him almost seven hours to finish, but finish he did, the only rider to do so from the early breakaway. "It's a huge accomplishment," the Ugandan said. He then posed for a photograph and, riding alongside the tribunes, began his journey back to his hotel.
Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism, which he passed with distinction. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
-
Castelli Tempesta Lite review: great performance but at a price
Gore-tex Active Technology gives the Castelli Tempesta Lite impressive breathability and weather protection but the price will deter all but the most committed wet-weather riders
By Tim Russon Published
-
Bike subscription business to close due to 'escalating costs'
Buzzbike has operated in Manchester and London since 2016, but will halt its fleet this week
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Trophies on wheels: a look at the uniquely painted bikes gifted to the 2024 Olympic champions
Remco Evenepoel, Kristen Faulkner and Grace Brown received bikes that shine as brightly as the golden medals themselves
By Anne-Marije Rook Published
-
Olympic champion Tom Pidcock confirmed for mountain bike world title defence
Pidcock to head up British team at Andorra World Championships next week
By Tom Thewlis Published
-
Which nation picked up the most Olympic cycling medals?
Who was top of the table at the end of the Olympics?
By Adam Becket Published
-
Jennifer Valente crushes the Omnium at Paris Olympics
US rider defends her title in style as Great Britain's Neah Evans finishes down in 15th
By Patrick Fletcher Published
-
Bronze for Emma Finucane as Andrews and Lavreysen crowned golden sprinters of Paris Olympics
Andrews beats Finucane en route to Individual Sprint gold, while Lavreysen collects third gold in a Keirin marred by Jack Carlin crash
By Patrick Fletcher Published
-
Dog walker, lifeguard, and now Olympian: Mark Stewart's unorthodox path to the Paris Olympics
The Scot received a late call-up to race the Madison, and added another job title to his long CV
By Tom Davidson Published
-
Madison mayhem as Great Britain taken out in crash-ridden race at Paris Olympics
Ollie Wood 'ploughed into' by Jan-Willem van Schip as Portugal prevail, while Emma Finucane marches on in the Sprint
By Patrick Fletcher Published
-
'Rugby on wheels' - Controversy after Jack Carlin wins bronze medal at Paris Olympics
Sprinter accused of deviating from his lane, but jury decide no wrongdoing
By Tom Davidson Published