Kenyan rider has leg amputated after Tour du Rwanda crash

Samwel Mwangi broke his femur in final stage accident

Samwel Mwangi has had his leg amputated after crashing in the Tour du Rwanda

(Image credit: Kenyan Riders Down Under)

A Kenyan cyclist has had his leg amputated after a serious crash in the Tour du Rwanda.

Samwel Mwangi, who rides for the UCI Continental team Kenyan Riders Down Under, crashed in the final stage of the Tour du Rwanda, breaking the femur in his left leg.

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The break severed the femoral artery, cutting off blood circulation to the lower part of the leg, forcing doctors to amputate.

2016 was Mwangi's first season as a full time rider, after being discovered by Kenyan Riders Down Under founder Nicholas Leong while working as a bicycle taxi operator in Eldoret in Kenya.

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Mwangi had picked up a couple of top ten placing on his first season with the UCI Continental team, but had mainly been deployed as a domestique, competing in 2.1 and 2.2 level races such as the Tour of China and the Tour de Flores.

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.