Thursday

Stage 2: Top five1. Daniel Habtemchael (Eritrea) – 3:41:322. Jean Paul Rene UKiniwabo (Rwanda) – 3:41:323. Gregory Rougier-Lagane (Mauritius) – 3:42:104. Najib Assal (Algeria) – 3:42:265. Solomon Zemenfes (Eritrea) – 3:42:26

Other Rwandans6. Joseph Areruya – 3:42:2612. Samuel Hakiruwizeye – 3:42:2614. Didier Munyaneza – 3:42:2616. Samuel Munyaneza – 2:42:2621. Jean Damascene Ruberwa – 3:42:26

General Classification: Top 51. Natnael Mebrahtom (Eritrea) – 6:07:392. Solomon Zemenfes (Eritrea) – 6:08:023. El Mehdi Chokri (Morocco) – 6:08:124. Joseph Areruya (Rwanda) – 6:08:145. El Kouraji Mohcine (Morocco) – 6:08:18

Team Rwanda rider Jean Paul Rene Ukiniwabo put up an impressive performance to finish second in a tightly contested two-man finish sprint in stage 2 of the ongoing Tour de l’Espoir on Thursday evening in Douala, Cameroon.

The 19-year old Ukiniwabo covered the 147 kilometers in 3 hours, 41 minutes and 32 seconds, the same time as stage winner, Daniel Habtemchael of Eritrea. Gregory Rougier-Lagane (3:42:10) of came in third place, 38 seconds behind the front two.

Stage one winner Natnael Mebrahtom, finished in 8^th place, still tops the general classification, while Tour du Rwanda and La Tropicale Amissa Bongo reigning champion Joseph Areruya finished sixth, 54 seconds behind Habtemchael.

The rest of Team Rwanda riders finished in a 24-man peloton that followed the top three—all the 24 clocked 3 hours, 42 minutes and 26 seconds.

Out of the 73-rider start-list on Thursday, 20 cyclists, including three Vietnam riders, failed to complete the stage.

Friday is rest day and the Under-23 UCI race resumes on Saturday with stage three where the 53 riders remaining in the contention will do 101.8km in the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé.

In team classification, Eritrea top the charts, followed by Morocco while Rwanda complete the top three. South Africa and Maurice are fourth and fifth respectively.

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