TodayMostaganem to Oran – 143 km

Day One Results:Algiers to Ain Defla – 128kmHichem Chaabane (Team Algeria) – 2:54:12Janvier Hadi (Team Rwanda) – 2:54:28Nassim Saidi (Team Algeria) – 2:54:28

Team Rwanda Cycling captain Janvier Hadi clocked 2:54:28 to finish second on day one of the ongoing Tour International d’Oraine in Algeria yesterday. 

Hadi fought hard to maintain his position with the leading peloton and indeed his efforts paid off as he sprinted to the finish line, 16 seconds behind winner Hichem Chaabane of Algeria, who also won the Circuit International d’Algérie on Friday.

The 24-year old Rwandan rider, who is competing in the Grand Tour d’Algérie for the first time in his cycling career, displayed strong character against some of the top riders on the African continent.

As is the norm, to be the best, one has to beat the best. It is from performances like this that Hadi and his teammates are revering even better results at the longest competition on the UCI Africa Tour that started on March 6 through to March 30.

This can be attributed to the riders’ ever-improving attitude towards the mastery of finishing races strongly, an aspect that has been their Achilles heel in recent tours, from the Tour of Egypt in Hurghada in Egypt, to the Africa continental cycling championships and the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo tour last month.

Team Rwanda coach Jonathan ‘Jock’ Boyer is impressed with the riders’ improvement every other day admitting that it is important to finish strongly.

Yesterday’s result is expected to be a benchmark for greater success cutting across a team with plenty of sprinters including Jean Bosco Nsengimana, Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, Valens Ndayisenga, Joseph Biziyaremye and youngster Jeremie Karegeya.

Today, Team Rwanda will be hoping to get even better on day two from Mostaganem to Oran, a total distance of 143 km.