Team Rwanda finishes 10th in African cycling tourney

Men results - 143km 1. Dan Craven            (NAM)  03hr29min40sec2. Hassan Zahboune  (MOR)  17sec3. Abdelmalek Madani (ALG)  25

Thursday, November 13, 2008
Rwanda cyclists Adrien Niyonshuti and nathan Byukusenge(middle) racing in the African Cycling Championship in Morocco over the weekend. (Photo / Ferwacy).

Men results - 143km
 
1. Dan Craven            (NAM)  03hr29min40sec
2. Hassan Zahboune  (MOR)  17sec
3. Abdelmalek Madani (ALG)  25

Women – 55km:

1 Cashandra Slingerland  (SA)     01hr33min19sec
2 Marissa van der Merwe (RSA)   same time
3 Aurelie Halbwachs         (MAU)  34sec.

RWANDA cycling team could only manage tenth overall position in this year’s African Cycling Championships which climaxed in Casablanca, Morocco over the weekend.

Team Rwanda finished behind Namibia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Eritrea, South Africa, Egypt and Mauritius.

On an individual basis, Adrien Niyonshuti finished 31st, Abraham Ruhumuriza was 35th while Nathan Byukusenge came in 45th position in a race which attracted 78 riders from across the African continent.

Namibia’s Dan Craven claimed one of the biggest wins of his career and South Africa’s Cashandra Slingerland continued her podium-topping form when they captured the gold medals in the men and women’s road races respectively.

A last-gasp pursuit of lone leader Hassan Zahboune gave the 25-year-old Craven, grandson of legendary Springbok rugby player Danie Craven, a somewhat unexpected shot at the title which he grabbed with great enthusiasm in what became a dramatic finishing-straight dash, which saw him complete the 143km race in 03hr 29min 40sec.

Ends