Friday Stage six: Bafoussam - Bafoussam (98.0 km) Thursday Stage five: Mbanga - Bafang (121.5 km) Top five 1. Bonaventure Uwizeyimana (Rwanda) 3h 23’ 37’’ 2. J akub Varhaňovský (Dukla Banská Bystrica) + 01’ 20’’ 3. Michel Tientcheu (SNH Vélo Club) + 01’ 21’’ 4. Bamba Karamoco (Ivory Coast) + 02’ 25’’ 5. Janvier Hadi (Rwanda) + 02’ 29’’ Other Team Rwanda riders 10. Jean Rene Ukiniwabo +04’58” 15. Patrick Byukusenge +05’21” 18. Jean Bosco Nsengimana +06’03” 19. Didier Munyaneza +06’22” General Classification-Top five 1. Bonaventure Uwizeyimana (Rwanda) 13h 52’ 33’’ 2. Martin Haring (Dukla Banská Bystrica) 13h 56’ 03’’ 3. Martin Mahdar (Dukla Banská Bystrica) 13h 56’ 27’’ 4. Brandon Downes (Martiques SC) 13h 56’ 39’’ 5. Patrick Byukusenge (Rwanda) 13h 57’ 48’’
Team Rwanda’s Bonaventure Uwizeyimana is the overall leader at the ongoing 15th edition of Tour du Cameroun after a dramatic stage win yesterday.
Following two stages in which Team Rwanda had fallen short of a stage win only finishing second, the 25-year old former Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka rider showed for a mission when he put up a strong solo performance to comnfortably claim stage five; Mbanga – Bafang.
Uwizeyimana covered the gruesome 121.5 kilometre distance in three hours, twenty-three minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
The Club Benediction rider beat his closest contestant Jakub Varhaňovský, from Dukla Banská Bystrica club of Slovakia, by one minute and twenty seconds while Michel Tientcheu, from Cameroon’s SNH Vélo Club, came third, just a second (+ 01’ 21’’) after Varhaňovský.
Janvier Hadi was the second best performer for Team Rwanda finishing fifth, clocking two minutes and twenty-nine seconds behind stage winner Uwizeyimana.
Following this win, Uwizeyimana tops the provisional general classification with the least time of 13 hours, 52 minutes and 33 seconds beating closest rival Martin Haring from, Dukla Banská Bystrica, with three minutes and 30 seconds (13h 56’ 03’’) while the former’s teammate Martin Mahdar comes in third with a total time of 13h 56’ 27’’ with Patrick Byukusenge in fifth place having used so far a total time of 13h 57’ 48’’.
Uwizeyimana’s stage win means that Team Rwanda has now won a total of eight stages at the annual UCI Africa tour 2.2 race since their debut appearance in 2010, including three stages at the 2010 edition courtesy of veteran Gasore Hategeka and retired Abraham Ruhumuriza, who claimed two stages.
The following year, Rwandans Gasore and retired Obed Ruvogera won one stage each before one stage win in 2015 through retired Emile Bintunimana and another in 2016, thanks to Jean Bosco Nsengimana, who was then riding for Germany’s Stradalli- Bike Aid.
Meanwhile, today riders will be heading into stage six that will be comprised of laps around the town of Bafoussam, a city in the highlands of western of cameroon where they will cover a total distance of 98 kilometres.
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