Rwandan mountain bike racing star Nathan Byukusenge and partner Thinus Redelinghuys (South African) finished as the third best African team and 18th overall in the Absa Cape Epic 2016 that ended on Sunday in South Africa.

The 12th edition of the annual week-long event started on March 13, covering a total distance of 665 kilometres and seven stages.

Byukusenge, 35, met his partner for the competition, Redelinghuys, who normally rides for South Africa’s Team Jeep, a day before the race. The duo riding together for the first time did a great race to finish 18thout of 483 teams.

However, Byukusenge stole the show in his fourth appearance of the race by being not only the fastest, but also the only black rider in the top 20.

Team Bulls that comprised of Karl Platt and Urs Hubber were crowned the 2016 champions, Nicola Rohrback and Matthias Pfrommer (Team Centurion Vaude) finished second while Italians Samuele Porro and Damiano Ferraro of Team Trek-Selle San Marco A, finished in the bronze medal position.

Byukusenge is one of the four Rwandan athletes, who have already qualified for this year’s Olympic Games slated for August 5-21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Others are Janvier Hadi (road cycling) and two marathoners; Claudette Mukasakindi and Jean Baptiste Simukeka.

From South Africa, the veteran Team Rwanda rider Byukusenge is also set to compete in this year’s African Continental Mountain Bike Championships set for March 30 to April 4 in Lesotho.

Hakuzimana 3rd in Tour du Cameroun

Meanwhile, Team Rwanda rider Camera Hakuzimana finished third in the general classification of the 13th Tour du Cameroun that also ended on Sunday.

Hakuzimana used 26 hours, 20 minutes and 37 seconds, a total distance of 1021.2 kilometres of the 8-stage UCI 2.2 category race, 58 seconds behind the winner Amine Mohmed Errafai of Morocco and 4 seconds behind Frenchman Alexis Carlier, who finished second.

In team classification, Felix Sempoma’s team declined from top (2015) to third at this year’s edition, behind Morocco and Slovakia’s Dukla Banska Bystrica.

In the U23 category, debutant Ephrem Tuyishime finished third behind Alexis Carlier and Amanuel Mengis Ghebreindrias, an Eritrean riding for Stradali- Bike Aid of Germany, the same club Rwanda’s Jean Bosco Nsengimana rides for.

Nsengimana, who won stage 5 last Wednesday, finished fifth in the youth category and 19th overall.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw