After winning stage five, Eritrean Teshome Hagos Meron has set his sights on doing the same in the remaining two stages of the 2015 Tour du Rwanda which climaxes on Sunday.
Stage 5
Muhanga-Rubavu 139.3km
1. Teshome Hagos Meron (Eritrea) 3h44’24’’2. JB Nsengimana (Team Kalisimbi) 3h44’26’’3. Smit Willie (South Africa) 3h21’26’’4. Winterberg Lucas (Suisse Meubles Descarte) 3h44’26’’5. Bescond Jeremy (Haute Savoie) 3h44’26’’
Team Rwanda:
7. Camera Hakuzimana 3h44’26’’’11. Joseph Biziyaremye 3h44’26’’ 12. Hadi Janvier 3h44’26’’13 Emile Bintunimana 3h44’26’’15 Jean Claude Uwizeye 3h44’26’’16. Nathan Byukusenge 3h44’26’’17. Bonaventure Uwizeyimana 3h44’26’’18. Hategaka Gasore 3h44’26’’21. Abraham Ruhumuriza 3h44’26’’ 22. Jeremie Gasore 3h44’26’’23. Joseph Areruya 3h44’26’’36. Ephrem Tuyishimire 3h48’09’’39. Patrick Byukusenge 3h44’26’’
General Classification
1. JB Nsengimana Team Karisimbi (16h41’53’’)2. Joseph Areruya Team Akagera (16h43’00’’)3. Julien Liponne Haute Savoie (16h43’06’’)4. Debesay Mekseb Bike Aid (16h43’07’’)5. Patrick Byukusenge Team Karisimbi (16h43’13’’)
After winning stage five, Eritrean Teshome Hagos Meron has set his sights on doing the same in the remaining two stages of the 2015 Tour du Rwanda which climaxes on Sunday.
Teshome, riding for the Eritrea national team won the stage from Muhanga to Rubavu covering a total distance of 139.3 kilometers in a time of 3h44’24’’.
He moved to fifth position in the general classification, four minutes and 51 seconds behind race leader Jean Bosco Nsengimana of Team Rwanda Karisimbi, who finished in second place on Friday just seconds behind Teshome.
"I will try to win the two remaining stages. I know it will be difficult, but my aim is to make sure that we secure more stages and with my teammates we will do our best to push until the end of the race on Sunday,” the 23-year-old Teshome said after his win.
After five stages and 651.9 kilometers of the competition, homeboy Nsengimana continues to lead the UCI Africa race with 16h41’53’, followed by Areruya with 16h43’00.’’ Frenchman Julien Liponne from Haute Savoie is in third position after clocking 16h43’06’’.
Eritrean-Debesay of Bike Aid follows closely in fourth spot with16h43’07’’ while Team Rwanda Karisimbi’s Patrick Byukusenge completes the top five with a time of 16h43’13’’.
Missing Ndayisenga
Defending champion, Valens Ndayisenga of Team Rwanda Karisimbi was ruled out of the competition after he was diagnosed with angina (chest pain) but his teammate Nsengimana has promised that they will do all they can to win the title for the "brother”.
"We missed our brother, a competitive rider, who is always fighting for the best of Team Rwanda but we want to make him happy by winning this race,” said the race leader, who is looking to emulate his compatriot and become the second Rwandan to win the race since its inception on the UCI calendar in 2009.
On top of retaining the yellow jersey, Nsengimana, 22, also keeps the best African, best Rwandan and best young rider jersey, while Ammanuel Gebrezgabihier from Eritrea retains the best mountain climber jersey for a third day in a row.
There were massive crowds at Sashwara just before reaching Rubavu town, the home area for Team Rwanda riders including Gasore Hategeka, Hadi Janvier, Patrick Byukusenge, Camera Hakuzimana, and Nsengimana.
Rwanda remains in pole position to win a second Tour du Rwanda as Nsengimana and Areruya occupy the first two positions after stage 5.
Team Rwanda Karisimbi still leads in the team category followed by Team Rwanda Akagera, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Team Rwanda Muhabura.
On Saturday the riders will race from Rubavu to Kigali (Nyamirambo), which will cover 156.5km, a route characterized by fast and winding descent. The last two stages also have long and challenging climbs to over 27. 5 kilometers.
Fifty-two riders remain in the race that started with 14 teams instead of the initial 15 after Algeria pulled out at the last minute.
On Friday Debretsion Aron from Eritrea was rushed to hospital after a crash a few kilometers from the starting point while Paul Agorir from Kenya the abandoned race.
Other riders, who have abandoned the race include; Ihlenfeld Stefan from South Africa National Team, Mohamed Elewa Yusuf, Mohamed Idriss Abdullah, Ayman Elsayed Mohamed and Mini Emanuel from Egypt National Team, Dacal Brais and Saidov Ulugbek and JELINIC Zvonimir of Novo Nordisk Development
Others are; Poli Umberto (Novo Nordisk Development), Muffat Adrien (Haute-Savoie/Rhone-Alpes), Clavel Sylvain (Haute-Savoie/Rhone-Alpes) and Kenya National Team’s Gathurima Kinoti Ayub.
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