Slow start for cycling team at Grand Tour of Algeria

Saturday Stage 2 1. Tomas Vaitkus (Al Nasr Team) 3:21:062. Saidi Nassim (El Marakeb) 3:21:063. Tesfom Okubamariam (Eritrea) 3:21:06 Team Rwanda 40. Joseph Biziyaremye 3:21:3842. Jeremie Karegeya 3:21:3843. Joseph Areruya 3:21:3851. Patrick Byukusenge 3:21:3875. Jean Claude Uwizeye 3:25:24 The national cycling team had a rough start at the ongoing 22nd edition of the annual Grand Cycling Tour of Algeria, which started on March 4 and runs until March 28. Unlike the recently concluded African Continental Road Championship in Morocco where Rwandan riders won three medals (one gold and two silver), the team has not showed signs of replicating the same in the first two days of the month-long race. On Saturday, Tomas Vaitkus, riding for Dubai-based Al Nasr Pro Cycling Team, won the first race of stage two, also called ‘International Tour of Oran’, after using 3 hours, 21 minutes and 6 seconds. The Grand Cycling Tour of Algeria has ten stages, 22 sub-stages (races), with 84 riders and 14 teams, covering a total distance of 3500km. For example, stage two which started on Saturday and will end on Monday, has three races. Saidi Nassim of Algeria and Eritrean Tesfom Okubamariam finished second and third respectively, with the same time, after a very tight sprint finish. The race, from Zeralda to Ain Defla, had a total distance of 119.75km; where the riders had an average speed of 35.73km per hour. The best Rwandan performer was Joseph Biziyaremye, who finished in the 40th position, 32 seconds behind the winner, Vaitkus. Jeremie Karegeya finished 42nd, Joseph Areruya 43rd and Team Rwanda captain Patrick Byukusenge came in the 51stposition, all the three clocked 3:21:38. Jean Claude Uwizeye used 3:25:24 to finish in the 75th place while youngster Samuel Mugisha, who is making his second international appearance in the senior team, was the only rider that failed to finish the race out of 81 riders on the start-list. On Friday, Stage one, also known as ‘International Circuit of Algiers’, which covered a total distance of 105km, was won by Spaniard Jesus Rubio who used 2:28:33. Team Rwanda’s Areruya finished sixth, only six seconds behind the leader, and third in the U23 category. Biziyaremye (2:35:48), finished 23rd while Uwizeye finished 24th albeit with similar time of 2:35:48. Byukusenge, Karegeya and Mugisha were among the 28 riders, who failed to finish stage one. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Slow start for cycling team at Grand Tour of Algeria