Cryotherapy, floating chambers, NormaTec boots, infrared saunas, even Tom Brady鈥揵randed pajamas鈥攕cience writer听Christie Aschwanden听tried it all while听researching听her new book听听($28, W.W. Norton). (She did, however, skip vinotherapy,听the red-wine baths that .)听

But in a book that鈥檚 littered with insights into trendy recovery methods, you鈥檒l find few endorsements. Instead, Aschwanden听advocates for common sense over flash, arguing听that, whether it鈥檚 a question of听getting more sleep or drinking when we鈥檙e thirsty,听our own bodies may听be the best recovery tools we have. 鈥淭he fact that a whole industry has popped up to help healthy听people find ways to feel anxious about their bodies seems like a statement about the weird times we live in,鈥� she writes. 鈥淟earn to read your own body and pay attention to what it鈥檚 telling you.鈥� Below, we鈥檝e rounded up five key听lessons at the heart of the book.

Stay Thirsty

What to drink during exercise,听and how much, is an ongoing听debate among athletes and health professionals.听While daily water-intake recommendations vary (the National Institute of Health 听that men consume three liters per day听and women 2.2 liters), athletes are invariably told to drink at every opportunity. This hydration preoccupation鈥攐ften听prompted听by science of limited rigor and fueled by marketing from sports-drink听companies鈥攈as听lead to听people drinking even when they鈥檙e not thirsty, especially when working out. And听according to Aschwanden, that could be a big problem. 鈥淭he body is highly adapted to cope with losing multiple liters of fluid,鈥� she writes.

In fact, the evidence cited in her book shows that drinking too much water听poses a much greater risk than drinking too little. Overhydration can听lead to blood-sodium levels becoming diluted to dangerous and even fatally low concentrations (a condition known as hyponatremia). This became a recurring problem, for example, at the Comrades Marathon鈥攁 famous 90-kilometer race听in South Africa鈥攁fter it added water stations for the first time in 1981. 鈥淭here鈥檚 never been a case of a runner dying of dehydration on a marathon course,鈥� recounts Aschwanden. 鈥淏ut since 1993, at least five marathoners have died from hyponatremia that developed during a race.鈥� Drinking when thirsty, she advises, is the much better approach than wrought water consumption.

Skip the Ice

Icing postworkout听became a mantra of sports science after physician Gabe Mirkin coined the popular term RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) in 1978, and the recovery tool continues today in marathon medical tents and professional locker rooms.听Ice is meant to slow blood flow, which reduces inflammation and pain. But, it turns out, that also can be counterproductive, as it inhibits the rebuilding of muscle听and the restoration process. 鈥淚nstead of promoting healing and recovery,鈥� Aschwanden writes,听鈥渋cing might actually impair it.鈥� And that鈥檚 led to a growing backlash against icing, which听. Instead of rushing to the cold stuff, Aschwanden advises athletes to wait it out and leave time for the body to heal.

Know Your Limits

In her former life, Aschwanden was an elite nordic skier, racing with Team Rossignol听in Europe and North America.听Every season, she remembers, followed听roughly the same pattern: After intense preparation, she would excel in her first few races. Then, as the months went on, she鈥檇 invariably come down with an injury, cold, or another ailment that would cut her performance short. Looking back, Aschwanden attributes her crashes in large part to fatigue from overtraining. 鈥淚 needed less training than most athletes to reach and maintain peak conditioning,鈥� Aschwanden writes. 鈥淏ut I did not appreciate that I also needed more rest and recovery.鈥� Overtraining听syndrome is an increasingly recognized problem听that has led to the decline of many endurance athletes鈥�听careers. To avoid pushing the body beyond its limits, Aschwanden suggests that athletes keep an eye out for personal signs of fatigue when training. Hers is a sore throat, but other indicators could include weight fluctuations, mood changes, or coming down with a bug.

Let Go of FOMO

Fear of missing out听is a common theme of Aschwanden鈥檚 book. Whether it鈥檚 a dietary supplement or an infrared sauna, she writes that many people try a new recovery technique simply听because other people around them are doing it. While that鈥檚 probably not harmful, she concludes,听any positive effect may just听be a placebo. 鈥淢any popular modalities strike me as sort of pacifiers,鈥� she writes. 鈥淭hey won鈥檛 actually resolve anything, but they give you something to do while nature takes its course.鈥澨齀f trying a new, unproven recovery method makes you feel better and more confident, great, she argues, but they almost certainly aren鈥檛 necessary.

Make Sleep King

One exception to Aschwanden鈥檚听general skepticism is sleep.听鈥淚nsofar as there exists any magical secret for recovery, sleep is it,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he benefits of sleep cannot be overstated. It鈥檚 hands down the most powerful recovery tool known to man.鈥� Beyond contributing to听lower testosterone levels and a suppressed immune system, a lack of sleep can also be tantamount to 鈥渟howing up to the game drunk,鈥� she writes. The right amount of sleep听for each person is鈥攍ike many things in the book鈥攕ubjective. Citing sleep scientist Amy Bender, Aschwanden writes that athletes should sleep when their body tells them to (that includes afternoon naps)听and shouldn鈥檛 stress out over one night of bad sleep. Instead, Bender advises people to 鈥渢hink of their sleep in terms of a weekly budget. Focus on your weekly need听rather than being concerned about eight hours every single night.鈥�

So听when you鈥檙e choosing between extra sleep or that extra workout, she says you鈥檙e likely better off sleeping in鈥攚hich is probably the best news of all.

is available听February听5 from W.W. Norton.听

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When Eliud Kipchoge broke the tape at the Berlin Marathon last month鈥攕etting a new world record by 78 seconds鈥攈e and his fellow marathoners may have had evolution to thank. Or, more specifically, the CMAH gene.

In 1998, Ajit Varki, a biologist at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), a small variation in humans鈥� CMAH gene compared to that of chimpanzees. The landmark study was the first to find a genetic difference between us and our closest relatives. While CMAH is present in every member of both species, it remains intact in primates (among many other animals), whereas humans are thought to have lost part of the gene between 2 million and 3 million years ago, rendering it effectively inactive.

Varki and other scientists spent the next two decades studying that ancient tweak to CMAH, linking it to an increased risk of ailments such as muscular dystrophy and heart disease. Now, published last month in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B added another surprising effect to that list: The gene may have also made humans better long-distance runners. 鈥淚ronically,鈥� Varki explained, 鈥渢he same mutation that increases the risk of these diseases gives us the ability to run.鈥�

It鈥檚 a connection that Varki says he鈥檚 been thinking about for years. 鈥淚t was really a hunch based on many clues,鈥� Varki says. These hints included CMAH鈥檚 impact on muscle mass and the fact that the gene mutation seems to have happened around the same time that we evolved big feet and a network of sweat glands鈥攆eatures that helped humans become some of the best distance runners in the world.

Varki鈥檚 lab has long compared normal mice, in which CMAH is naturally active, to others that are specially bred with the inactive gene. But when it came to testing the animals鈥� running ability, Varki had trouble convincing anyone in his lab to organize 鈥渁 long-shot experiment.鈥� That is, until he met graduate student Jonathan Okerblom in 2012.

鈥淚 was really excited about this running hypothesis,鈥� says Okerblom, who was on a research rotation in Varki鈥檚 lab at the time. Okerblom had been formulating a hunch about CMAH and running separately from Varki; he remembers first talking about the possibility over a beer with fellow graduate students. 鈥淔or me, it was like an epiphany moment.鈥�

After the two met and discussed their theories, Varki suggested that Okerblom work on the hypothesis with Varki鈥檚 mice. So, amid other projects, Okerblom set out to design an experiment that measured the running capabilities in both CMAH and inactive-CMAH mice. The problem, Okerblom says, was that they needed a treadmill.

At first, the team built running wheels directly into the mice鈥檚 cages and used a bicycle speedometer attached to the side as a measurement tool. 鈥淭he wheel has its drawbacks,鈥� Okerblom says. 鈥淚t likely does not emulate the [mouse hunting persistently] as accurately, since it鈥檚 likely not running until exhaustion.鈥�

Eventually, the team was able to borrow a mouse treadmill. It had six lanes and a mild shocker (set to low) on the bottom that would encourage the mouse to keep running. The study measured how long a mouse could run before it rested on the shocker for four seconds, indicating exhaustion.

Running both sets of mice on the treadmills for 15 days, Okerblom saw notably increased running performance in the inactive-CMAH group using both the wheel and the treadmill. UCSD physiologist Ellen Breen, who analyzed the mice鈥檚 muscle responses, also found a greater resistance to fatigue, better respiration, and more capillaries鈥攁ll traits associated with great marathoners.

鈥淲hen [the study] landed on my desk, I was obviously pretty delighted,鈥� says Daniel Lieberman, a professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard University and the co-author of a widely circulated about how humans evolved to be such well-adapted runners. He says that he too surmised a genetic connection but that this is the first study showing a direct link.

Still, Lieberman says there are many unanswered questions. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 even know that this gene evolved for this function,鈥� he says. Similarly, he adds that because every human has an inactive CMAH gene, the implications for individual athletes are fairly limited. 鈥淭he key evolutionary story is that all humans have capabilities for remarkable endurance, and this gene plays a role in that.鈥�

Another major uncertainty is how transferable this research on mice is to humans. A comparing the two genomes found that although mice and humans have similar systems that control gene activity, many DNA variations and gene-expression patterns are not shared between the species. Okerblom and Varki have both addressed the study鈥檚 limitations, which other scientists have also pointed out. 鈥淚t鈥檚 interesting in terms of the effects on exercise behavior and performance. I don鈥檛 think it necessarily tells us about human evolution,鈥� said Theodore Garland Jr., an evolutionary physiologist at the University of California Riverside who is also skeptical that a single gene could have so much of an impact on human ability. 鈥淭ypically in evolution, there are many, many different ways things could occur鈥t鈥檚 highly unlikely that a single gene is going to be crucial and necessary to evolution.鈥�

While Varki is bullish on CMAH鈥檚 importance, he is the first to acknowledge that there鈥檚 room for more research concerning the gene. 鈥淸This] could be relevant to human muscle biology, physiology,鈥� he says. For now, though, there鈥檚 at least one thing Varki is sure of: 鈥淭he mice really like to run.鈥�

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Rose Moeser peers over the edge of West Virginia鈥檚 , watching the morning clouds wisp past her. The thick, white plumes extend down to the bottom of the nearly 1,000-foot ravine. 鈥淚t seems like we鈥檙e standing on top of the clouds,鈥� the 36-year-old says. Neither she, nor any of the other BASE jumpers, can see where they鈥檙e going to land after they leave the wooden platform, known as the exit,听erected over the railing of the bridge. It鈥檚 8:59 and there鈥檚 one minute left before听anyone who鈥檚 brave enough will start hurling themselves into the abyss. The countdown begins at ten seconds. When it hits zero, the first jumper leaps into the still lingering clouds.

Moeser, a chiropractor from Arizona, is about a dozen people back in the line. As she waits, she practices her form: both arms up and out, then the right one reaches back to grab the parachute. Easy. She learned the technique, at least in part, from her brother, Lee, and her father, Chuck, who are both jumping today, too. Lee, who has been coming here for five years, tumbles off the platform first. Chuck, who has been coming for six years, stands next to Rose. It鈥檚 her first time at Bridge Day, so they鈥檙e jumping together.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cleared up,鈥� he reassures her, as the rising sun burns off the remaining fluff, and the line creeps forward. Rose seems nervous, yet poised, as the announcer introduces the father-daughter pair. 鈥淭hree… two… one鈥︹€� the Moesers count in unison, running across the platform and exiting on 鈥淪ee ya!鈥� They plummet toward the river, 876 feet below.

This fall marks the 40th anniversary of the construction of the New River Gorge Bridge, which, at the time of its opening, was the second highest in the United States. (It is now the third.)听Since shortly after it was built, West Virginians have commemorated the day each October by shutting down the heavily trafficked bridge for six hours and letting BASE jumpers like the Moesers loose.

The annual closure has come to be known as 听and is among the sport鈥檚 longest running and most famous events. 鈥淓verybody who鈥檚 a BASE jumper knows about Bridge Day,鈥� says Marcus Ellison who, along with fellow volunteer Mark Kisner, organizes the BASE-jumping portion of the day. It鈥檚 turned into one of the largest extreme sports events in the world鈥攁 festival of sorts that draws as many as 200,000 spectators from around the globe. 鈥淭he boon to the local economy is enormous,鈥� says Sharon Cruikshank, the chair of the Bridge Day Commission, which oversees festivities that include BASE jumping听but also dozens of vendors and entertainers who gather around the bridge. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the largest one-day event in West Virginia.鈥�

But just because Bridge Day has scaled to this size doesn鈥檛 mean its survival is guaranteed. Bridge Day has been weathering a midlife crisis of sorts, as security changes and a jumper boycott put the event鈥檚 storied reputation in jeopardy.

Burton Ervin is the first person known to have BASE jumped off the New Gorge Bridge; he did it in the dark, at 10:20 P.M. on August 17, 1979, before an impromptu crowd of a couple hundred people. The following year, locals began calling the gathering Bridge Day and five parachuters took the plunge. In 1981, there were ten jumpers. By 1986, there were roughly 400鈥攁 level it hovered around for decades. In 1990, West Virginia passed state legislation making Bridge Day official.

The event has only been canceled once, after 9/11, due to worries that the bridge could be a target for terrorism. It quickly bounced back, though. Around the same time, longtime jumper Jason Bell took over as BASE-jumping organizer. During his ensuing 13 years at the helm, the event continued to grow. Bell brought in big name sponsors like Red Bull and Subaru, as well as new launching devices, including a diving board and a human catapult. He also brought in more jumpers to use them鈥攈e says the numbers climbed to over 450.

Security issues soon struck Bridge Day again. When the event returned after 9/11, all Bridge Day participants and vendors were required to submit their birth dates and social security numbers for background checks. In 2014, the West Virginia State Police wanted to go a step further: they asked that all jumpers submit to fingerprint scans. The request struck a nerve with the BASE community, which already believes that jumpers are wrongly vilified as scofflaws and hooligans. 鈥淸Many] said they wouldn鈥檛 return if they had to be fingerprinted like a criminal,鈥� says Bell, who supported the idea of a boycott.鈥淸I think] they needed to sit out a year [so West Virginia could] see what it was like without BASE jumpers.鈥�

Ellison was also skeptical of the scans and background checks. He didn鈥檛 think they addressed the problem the police were concerned about: the physical safety of the bridge. But he didn鈥檛 agree with a boycott, either. 鈥淚 have a great deal of respect for Jason.听He did a lot for the event over the years,鈥� says Ellison. 鈥淸But] I couldn鈥檛 sit by and let him destroy the economic stimulus that this community needs.鈥�

The finger scanning split the community. 鈥淚 basically said I鈥檓 done,鈥� says Bell who left as organizer. The next year, in 2015, Ellison and Kisner took over听and only about 180 jumpers showed up鈥攍ess than half of the usual draw. It was a blow that Bridge Day is still trying to recover from. Ellison and Kisner say their main goals are to regain the trust of the jumpers and improve relations with local officials. They believe they are making progress on both fronts.

West Virginia鈥檚 police eventually backed off from fingerprint scans and background checks (they didn鈥檛 respond to requests for comment on why), and jumpers started to return. Last year听there were more than 200. This year听there were more than 300. 鈥淭here are people here who skipped [in protest in past years],鈥� confirmed Ellison, the night before Bridge Day 2017 at the Holiday Lodge hotel near the bridge, which is headquarters for the jumpers. The lobby is overflowing with people packing and repacking parachutes. Some jumpers are even camped outside on the lawn. 鈥淲e exceeded our expectations,鈥� Ellison says.

At 7:30 A.M. on Bridge Day 2017, the shuttles start running between the Holiday Lodge to the bridge. With the sun only starting to make an appearance, the jumpers mill around in semidarkness.

Some of the biggest names in BASE jumping are here, like , Katie Hansen, and Johnny Utah. But when Bell left as organizer, so did Red Bull, Subaru, and other sponsors. There are a few smaller ones left, like the skydiving and BASE jumping equipment company , and the West Virginia state lottery. The absence of a corporate presence doesn鈥檛, however, seem to bother the new organizers. In fact, they say they welcome the change. 鈥淚t had become more commercial,鈥� says Ellison. (Bell disagrees.) 鈥淲e鈥檙e bringing the event back to the jumpers; that鈥檚 what it was originally for.鈥�

Ellison is particularly excited about the 50 or so newcomers this year. 鈥淏ridge Day is a place to come and learn to BASE jump,鈥� he says. He explains that while broken bones are not uncommon (and three people have died, although none in the past decade), the New River Gorge is considered a safe place to jump, because the height allows more time to correct mistakes and the water (boats pull the jumpers out) provides a soft landing. 鈥淭he story of Bridge Day is about the little guy,鈥� he says.

Moeser is one of these newcomers. She is an experienced skydiver, but decided to try BASE jumping after her father and brother fell for the sport.听鈥淢y dad, my brother, and my husband all did their first jump here,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 so happy the day has come.鈥� Moeser made sure she was on the first shuttle from the hotel.

By 9 A.M.听the line of jumpers stretches hundreds of feet down the bridge. Each person will probably get about three jumps in before Bridge Day ends at 3 P.M., four听if they鈥檙e lucky. When they get to the front, they鈥檒l have to choose how to make their exit. The default is the platform; it鈥檚 steady and reliable. A diving board is another option. New this year is a scissor lift, which hoists jumpers an extra 40-some feet off the deck of the bridge, and gives the crowd a better view. The most exciting exit, however, is the human catapult, which is back after a two-year absence. The hydraulic launcher has a seat on one end听and is painted a Rastafarian green and yellow, with 鈥渢he Human Rastapult鈥� written on the side. The unofficial slogan: 鈥淲e get you higher.鈥�

Moeser and her dad run off the platform. Less than two seconds later, she pulls her parachute and floats to the landing zone, just missing the river.

As the sun moves higher, spectators flood in. After passing security checkpoints (visitors still have to go through this) and vendor tents, they stroll across the bridge to the main attraction. 鈥淏ASE jumping brings the excitement to the event,鈥� says Cruikshank, from the Bridge Day Commission. Over her shoulder, onlookers ooh and ahh听with each leap. There鈥檚 over a hundred per hour.

The security controversy and the ensuing leadership change is still a touchy subject at Bridge Day. Cruikshank sidesteps the topic when asked about it, and most jumpers decline to comment. They prefer to look forward to other goals, like making BASE jumping more accepted in the U.S. 鈥淸It] should be completely legal off any object, any day of the year,鈥� Lee Moeser says defiantly. 鈥淚'm optimistic that we can one day have more open access,鈥� says Johnny Utah. 鈥淚t would be a major milestone.鈥�

For now, though, BASE jumping from the New River Gorge Bridge is still only legal between 9 A.M. and 3 P.M. on the third Saturday of October. And it鈥檚 a constant stream of jumpers right up until the cutoff. The day finishes with a group jump, known as a big way,听to celebrate the 40th anniversary. Nine people jump in succession, including Lee and Chuck Moeser. Rose watches from below. After everyone lands, the family packs up听and heads back to the Holiday Lodge for the infamous after-party. It鈥檚 a tradition that, like the bridge itself, everyone hopes will endure for another four decades.

鈥淚t鈥檚 people jumping off a bridge,鈥� says Kisner. 鈥淗ow much is that going to change?鈥�

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Dotted with farmers and goats, Rwanda鈥檚 only mountain bike track winds through the foothills of volcanoes and the backyard of the country鈥檚 famous gorillas. Just two-months old, the picturesque 6.5 kilometer听loop was specially built for the African continental championships Olympic qualifier, which opened Friday.听

鈥淲e need to make the world know about [our] cyclists,鈥� said Janvier Hadi, 24, one of Rwanda鈥檚 promising young riders. Veteran Jean de Dieu Uwimana agrees. Nicknamed 鈥淩afiki鈥�, or even 鈥楰iki鈥� for short, the thirty-six year old, says, 鈥淭his is our chance.鈥�

The elite men race Sunday and, at the end of six laps on the track, only the top two nations earn a spot for Rio next summer. Expectations for riders aren鈥檛 particularly high. After years of road racing, this will be the first mountain bike race for most of them. Nonetheless, the event marks Rwanda鈥檚 first major stab at the discipline and is yet another milestone in the cycling team鈥檚 already storied past.听

Over the last decade, Team Rwanda has slowly grown from a cohort of five to a squad of nearly two-dozen. Chronicled in the documentary , the unlikely group of former bicycle-taxi drivers and delivery men emerged against the backdrop of a genocide that left nearly a million here dead.

鈥淎fter 1994 peace was being restored and everyone started doing what they loved to do,鈥� said Abraham Ruhumuriza, who, like Rafiki, was a founding member of the team. At first that meant riding decades old single speed bikes with more than a few broken parts and entering ragtag local races. This didn鈥檛 begin to change until 2005, when pioneering American mountain bike designer Tom Ritchey took interest in Rwanda following a visit to the country. Soon after, he organized the 鈥榃ooden Bike Classic鈥� race in the western town of Kibuye.听

On hand was Ritchey鈥檚 longtime friend, Jonathan 鈥淛ock鈥� Boyer, who was first American to ride the Tour de France in 1981. A skeptical Boyer figured his trip to Rwanda would be a one-off thing. The prospects of developing a cycling program seemed improbable, at best. But, struck by the talent, Boyer moved to Rwanda in early 2007 to evaluate riders and assemble a team.听

鈥淲e weren't supposed to be here this long,鈥� he said, from the porch of the house where he now lives with his wife, two dogs and a cat. The three-month trip stretched into six, then a year, and now eight. With Boyer came an almost exclusive focus on road racing and astonishing growth. Team Rwanda is now an African stalwart with a roughly $400,000 per year budget and brand new headquarters.听

Completed last year, the 鈥楢frica Rising Cycling Center,鈥� is a little oasis of bungalows, bikes, and yoga classes just outside the northern city of Musanze. Plastered on the side of one building is a giant Turkish Airlines sponsor logo. Above the bikeshop the 鈥楾eam is Team鈥� motto. Rafiki鈥檚 son six year old son Jonathan鈥攏amed after 鈥楥oach Jock鈥欌€攔aces around the compound with a number 51 race bib hanging off the back seat of his forest green bike.听

The move into mountain biking is an evolution aimed as much at the team鈥檚 next generation as its last. Boyer jumped at the opportunity to host the African championships because he believes they can help jump-start a nascent tourism niche here. Gorilla viewing is currently the area鈥檚 top draw, but at $750 an hour it often only keeps visitors in town for an afternoon. Mountain bike tours, Boyer says, last much longer and could provide jobs鈥攕uch as guiding or hospitality services鈥攆or Rwanda鈥檚 growing number of 鈥榓ging out鈥� riders.

鈥淲e've already invested so much time, money and energy into [our riders],鈥� he explained. 听鈥淲e want to keep them onboard.鈥�

Of Team Rwanda鈥檚 original five, the two stars鈥擜drien Niyonshuti (now racing for a top-South Africa team) and Ruhumuriza鈥攁re still quite competitive. Others are winding down. Nathan Byukusenge, wants to become a cook and spends much of his free time in the kitchen or the team鈥檚 lush organic garden. Obed Ruvogera is training to become a soigneur, and recently spent five months in America learning about massage and yoga. Rafiki, who started cycling on a single speed bike back in 1998, retired two years ago and is now the team mechanic.

听鈥淪eventeen years is a long time, you know?鈥� he said, standing on the porch of the compound鈥檚 bike shop methodically lubricating chains, adjusting brakes and checking cables on the team鈥檚 stable of Scott mountain bikes. His son Jonathan looks on. 鈥淚'm happy to see these younger guys, and give them my experience.鈥�

Even for the young Rwandan riders though, the chances earning an Olympic berth this weekend are extremely slim. Not impossible鈥擭iyonshuti did it four years ago鈥攂ut, citing the strict qualification requirements, Boyer says, 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be hard.鈥� Regardless, he seems to put more of an emphasis on whether the championships further the off-track transformation he鈥檚 already seen in his riders.

鈥淸My first days on the team] were so crazy. I was very, very happy,鈥� said Janvier Hadi, the up and coming twenty four year old. The opportunity to ride alongside his childhood heroes also came with a base salary of $100 a month and race earnings that can boost his income up toward $6,000 per year. In a country where per capita GDP is around one tenth that, the money has enabled him to move out of his mother鈥檚 house and, at least from his perspective, 鈥渂uy anything, anytime.鈥�

It鈥檚 clear that Hadi is eager to pass on the good fortune. He has already recruited a talented 15-year old to the team, and, deep in the woods of the mountain bike track, he playfully bants with the throngs of children who come out to watch practice. He asks: Do you want us to come back?鈥� They all shout, 鈥淵es!鈥澨�

Every Friday, the team pedals back to their respective homes. Some to the Rwandan capital, Kigali, more than 100 kilometers to the south. Others to even more distant corners of what is knows as 鈥渢he land of a thousand hills.鈥� On Mondays, they make the reverse trip and continue their collective push to bring Team Rwanda full circle.

鈥淚t鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� said Boyer, before heading to dinner at the mess hall. 鈥淎 lot of our riders won't go to Europe or make it on the big scene. [But] if they're on Team Rwanda, their life is changed forever.鈥�

This story was supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

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