Saturday

Top five

1. Joseph Areruya (Rwanda) 2:44:122. Essaid Abelouache (Nasr- Dubai) + 1:253. Mansouri Abderrahmane (Sharjah Team- Algeria) + 1:424. Jean Claude Uwizeye (Rwanda) + 1:445. Mehari Tesfatsion (Algeria) + 1:44

Rwanda Cycling Federation president, Aimable Bayingana has tipped Joseph Areruya for greatness after the youngster showed great character to win Circuit International de Constantine on Saturday in Algeria.

By doing so, Areruya became the first rider not from NASR Pro Cycling Team- Dubia, to win a stage at this year’s Grand Cycling Tour of Algeria. The 20-year-old youngster used 2 hours, 44 minutes and 12 seconds, on an average speed of 38.368km/h to cover the 105km of race across the city of Constantine.

Areruya also became the second Rwandan rider in history to win a stage in Africa’s most grueling cycling competition, after Janvier Hadi who claimed stage two (International Tour of Oran) last year.

Speaking to Times Sport, Bayingana said, "Areruya did unbelievably great job, it’s very rare for a 20-year old boy to win such a huge race against top professionals. He is a good example that hard work pays off, the future of cycling in Rwanda is very bright.”

Riding for NASR- Dubai, Moroccan Essaid Abelouache (2:45:37) finished second, homeboy Mansouri Abderrahmane (2:45:54) finished third, two seconds ahead of Rwanda’s Jean Claude Uwizeye and Eritrean Mehari Tesfatsion, who finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Team Rwanda other riders namely; Patrick Byukusenge (captain), Joseph Biziyaremye, Jeremie Karegeya and Samuel failed to finish the race. Out of 45 riders who started the race, only 13 completed.

On Friday, Areruya finished 7th in the general classification in the International Tour of Constantine, the ninth race of the 2016 Grand Cycling Tour of Algeria.

The month-long race series kicked-off on March 4.The Algerian Tour is the only one of its kind in Africa, where riders race uninterrupted for four weeks. This year’s edition was composed of 10 races and 22 stages.

The three-stage International Tour of Constantine, one of the ten races of Algeria Tour, was dominated by NASR Pro Cycling Team- Dubai riders, occupying the first four positions.

The 13th edition of the annual Grand Cycling Tour of Algeria climaxes on Monday (today) with the International Circuit of Algiers.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw