Promising start for Team Rwanda at Tour of Cameroon

SundayStage two: Bafoussam-Bafoussam (101km) SaturdayStage one: Yaounde – Bafia (121km) Top Ten1. Cisse Isiaka (Cote D’Ivoire) 2h: 53’:38”2. Tybor Patrik - Dukla Banska Bystrica (Slo) “3. Van Engelen Adne - Global Cycling team (NED) “4. Mraouni Salah Eddine - Morocco 0:07”5. Bellan Juraj - Dukla Banska Bystrica (Slo) “6. Matthias Legley - Naturablue Cycling Team (Bel) “7. Alexis Tourtelot - Club de La Defence (Fra) “8. Ghislain Sikandji - Cameroon “9. Daniel Bichlmann - Bike Aid (Ger) “10. Jean Claude Uwizeye - Rwanda “ Other Rwandans13. Valens Ndayisenga “18. Ephrem Tuyishimire “23. Rene Jean Paul Ukiniwabo “26. Bonaventure Uwizeyimana “55. Jean Bosco Nsengimana 54” Team Rwanda riders have made a fairly promising start to the 14th edition of the ongoing Tour of Cameroon as they seek to win the competition for the first time. The annual competition that has attracted a total of 62 riders from 11 teams, both national teams and UCI continental teams, got underway on Saturday and is scheduled to run until March 19. Despite not managing a podium finish with only Jean Claude Uwizeye coming in the top ten, Team Rwanda’s performance on stage one (121-kilometers) from Yaoundé to Bafia in the north of Cameroon, puts them in a fighting position to in the race for the yellow jersey. Ivorian rider Cisse Isiaka won the opening stage after using 2 hours, 53 minutes and 38 seconds, the same time as Tybor Patrik from Dukla Banska Bystrica (Slovikia) and Van Engelen Adne Global Cycling team (Netherlands), who finished second and third respectively. The trio finished seven seconds ahead a peloton of 34 riders, who reached the finish line at the same time of 2 hours, 53 minutes and 45 seconds. Among the 34 riders included five of the six Rwandans participating in this year’s competition. The five included Uwizeye, who came on the 10th position, two-time and reigning Tour du Rwanda champion Valens Ndayisenga (13th), Ephrem Tuyishimire (18), Rene Jean Paul Ukiniwabo (23rd) and Bonaventure Uwizeyimana, who finished in 26th place. The 2015 Tour du Rwanda champion Jean Bosco Nsengimana, finished 54 seconds behind the stage winner at the 55th position after using 2 hours, 54 minutes and 32 seconds. “In truth it’s not the result we wanted, however it was not too bad either, we have seen the intensity of the competition and we expect the competition to get even stiffer,” said Team Rwanda coach Felix Sempoma told Sunday Sport in a phone interview. On stage two, today, riders will start from Bafoussam heading to Dschang and come back to Bafoussam, covering a total distance of 101-kilometers. editorial@newtimes.co.rw

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Promising start for Team Rwanda at Tour of Cameroon