UPDATE: TOUR DU RWANDA

STAGE TWO Tuesday is Stage Two of Tour du Rwanda and the riders will be heading west for longest stage in this years race and second longest in history of the tournament. The 180km race has six climbs. Back in 2014, the Tour du Rwanda registered its longest stage in history when riders had to race from Rubavu to Nyanza. They rode a distance of 182.4 km. Joseph Biziyaremye was the winner of that stage. However, Stage Two (Kigali Convention center-Karongi ) last year was only 124.7km. Valens Ndayisenga won the race in 3 hours 16 minutes and 46 seconds. With over 60km covered, Abderrahmane Mansouri (Algeria) and Samuel Hakiruwizeye have put a 1m22 gap on the peloton. Jimmy Uwingineye is closing in on them. Meanwhile, Patrick Gamper of Tirol Cycling Team, Eastern Griffin of Team Illuminate and Foltan Adrian who rides for Dukla Banska Bystrica all missed todays race (Nyanza-Rubavu). Colombia Edwin Vanegas Avila of team Team Illuminate has caught up with Edward Greene just after Kabaya. Heavy rain here in Mukamira as the riders get ready to enter Rubavu. 40 kilometres to go! Rwanda National Teams Jean Bosco Nsengimana now leads the race to Rubavu as Valens Ndayisenga of Tirol Cycling Team and Joseph Areruya try to catch up. They have created a gap of 34 seconds. Simon Pellaud has won Stage Two (Nyanza-Rubavu) of Tour du Rwanda. Yesterday, Rwandan, Joseph Areruya of Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka won stage one of Tour du Rwanda. Mian Kent, also with Team Dimension Data, came second while Eritreas Mebrahtom Natnael, was third. ************************************* On Sunday, the 9th edition of Tour du Rwanda kicked off with the prologue stage. As expected, it was taken by one of the local boys- Jean Bosco Nsengimana. Nsengimana won the 3.5km Prologue in a new course record of 3 minutes, 46 seconds and 06 seconds. He was followed by fellow countryman and Defending champion, Valens Ndayisenga (Tirol Cycling Team) who finished crossed the line after 03’48”77’. De Bod Stefan of team Dimension Data for Qhubeka came in at third position. Team Rwanda, is one of the three teams representing Rwanda-the others are Benediction Club de Rubavu and Amis Sportifs de Rwamagana. In total, the 2017 Tour du Rwanda will cover a distance of 819km, and for the second consecutive year, will reach in all the four provinces of the country and Kigali. STAGE ONE On Monday, its Stage One of Tour du Rwanda and riders will be racing from Kigali to Huye. It’s a 120.3km distance that Nsengimana, Sunday’s prologue winner will start the race wearing the leader’s yellow jersey. It was Nsengimanas 9th yellow jersey. Valens Ndayisenga leads the yellow-jersey category with Twelve since Tour du Rwanda started in 2009. In the first hour of the Kigali-Huye race, riders face three climbs, (Runda, Kamonyi, Kivumu) before ‘Mur de Huye’ just before finishing the race. In the past, the Kigali-Huye race has been won by Emile Bintunimana in 2015 and Joseph Areruya in 2016. After the Ruyenzi climb, Alexis Nizeyimana, Janvier Rugamba and Ebrahim Redwell are the Kings of the Mountain (KOM). The three riders have created a gap of 1m35s on the peloton. Samuel Hakiruwizeye, Redwan Ebrahim and Jean Paul Rene Ukiniwabo are Kings of the Mountain (KOM) after the second climb of the Kigali-Huye stage of Tour du Rwanda. Samuel Hakiruwizeye, is the King of the Mountain after the third climb of the Kigali-Huye stage. Ephrem Tuyishimire and Sebastien Fournet Fayard came 2nd and 3rd respectively. Samuel Hakiruwizeye of Rwamagana-based Les Amis Sportifs leads the peloton by 1 minute, 21 seconds as the riders leave Byimana. Cycling fans line the streets of Ruhango town during stage one of Tour du Rwanda. (Thierry Kayishema) With 55.5km left to get to Huye town, the riders have entered Ruhango town and Samuel Hakiruwizeye still leads the peloton by 1m18s. As the riders approach Gatagara, Samuel Hakiruwizeyes lead has been cut by Mcphaden Cameron of LowestRate to 1 minute 2 seconds. The peloton is closing in on Tour du Rwanda debutant, Samuel Hakiruwizeye who now only leads his fellow riders by only 19 seconds. Joseph Areruya, the winner of this stage last year has now increased his lead ahead of the peloton to 1m08s. With only a few metres to the end of the first stage of Tour du Rwanda, Joseph Areruya is set to win the Kigali-Huye stage. Areruya wins Joseph Areruya of Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka has won stage one of Tour du Rwanda. Mian Kent, also with Team Dimension Data, came second while Eritreas Mebrahtom Natnael, was third. Top ten positions after Stage One.

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UPDATE: TOUR DU RWANDA