For his Tour de Rwanda heroics

Niyonshuti’s Tour de Rwanda statistics
2004 -6th
2005 -7th
2006 -1st
2007 -4th
2008 -1st

After recording one of the most resonant wins in the history of Tour de Rwanda, Adrien Niyonshuti is said to have landed over Frw 0.7m in prize money.

On top of Frw 300,000 for winning the Tour, he also landed Frw 300,000 for his six stage wins, Frw 40,000 for his second spot finish in the fifth stage and Frw 30,000 after finishing third in the final stage.

Niyonshuti who was making his 5th appearance in the race clocked 29 hours, seven minutes and 52 seconds; (29:07:52), beating his closest challenger and Team Rwanda A compatriot Nathan Byukusenge by 10 minutes and 38 seconds.

Godfrey Gahemba (Team Rwanda B), who was only making his second appearance in the race finished third (29:19:06).

"This is a dream come true for me. At the start of the race, it never occurred to me that I would finish on the podium,” the 17-year-old excitedly said.

He also applauded Niyonshuti for his stunning display.
"He was a class apart.

He made it look so easy throughout the race,” Gahemba who also claimed the youngest rider’s honor acknowledged.

It is Niyonshuti’s second Tour de Rwanda title following that of 2006.

Meanwhile, defending champion Abraham Ruhumuriza settled in fifth spot (29:30:11) after a below par display.

The race was clearly dominated by local riders. In the individual category, Rwanda claimed nine slots in the top ten.

Kenya’s Anthony Mwite who claimed the final stage to become the only foreign rider to win a stage in the tour finished 7th overall.

In the team rankings, Rwanda still came at the fore. Team Rwanda A finished top, Team Rwanda B came second while Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Burundi finished third, fourth, fifth and sixth respectively.

35 riders took part in the nine-day event that covered a total distance of 1072 km.

This year’s edition which is considered by many as the most organized and colorful in the history of the tour was jointly sponsored by the Ministry of youth and sports, ORTPN, Western Union, Banque Populaire, BRD, Sulfo Rwanda, Hotel Credo, Rwanda Television and Radio Contact.

Ends