Team Rwanda Cycling team finished seventh in the general classification at the five-day Tour of Egypt that ended yesterday in Hurghada.

After a brilliant start with Valens Ndayisenga winning the prologue stage last Wednesday with Janvier Hadi coming third, the following four days were a nightmare for the Rwandan riders who had to deal with the unusual windy conditions.

"We learnt to deal with the wind while in Egypt and we also realised that the other riders are rough and push through the peloton. This is new to us but now we know what to expect next time,” explained Felix Sempoma, the head coach of Team Rwanda.

Sempoma explained that Bonaventure Uwizeyimana could have won yesterday’s stage but he was pushed and shoved in the peloton.

"Since our average performance in stage 1 which saw us 15 minutes behind the winner, we have since improved and the gap has been better, about one minute or so,” said Sempoma.

The Tour of Egypt was the first competition on the 2015 UCI Africa Tour calendar as teams attempt to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

Team Rwanda returns to Kigali today and will commence preparations for the Africa continental cycling championships scheduled for February 9-14 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.

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