At 20 years, Jeanne d’Arc Girubuntu has transcended the status-quo and made history as the first woman of color, African woman and Rwandan woman to ever race at an international competition. In September, Jeanne raced at the 2015 Union Cycliste Internationale (International Cycling Union) Championships in Richmond, Virginia. Born in 1995 and raised in a village in Rwamagana District, in Eastern Province of Rwanda, she did not succumb to the stigma and hardships associated with women cyclists. She is part of Team Africa Rising, an initiative based in Rwanda that trains Team Rwanda and other cyclists from Ethiopia, and Eritrea.

She spoke to The Service Mag (TSM) about how she started cycling in 2012, the motivation that drives her and the people who inspire her daily in her rise to fame as a female cyclist.