Rwandan cyclist Martha Ntakirutimana and her Dutch teammate Elodie Kuijper clinched victory in the women’s duo category of Stage Two of the 2025 Rwanda Epic, completing the challenging route in Musanze on Tuesday.
The stage began in Rulindo District, stretching 76 km with a demanding 1,846 meters of elevation gain, before finishing at the Africa Rising Cycling Center. The Rwandan–Dutch duo used 4 hours, 41 minutes, and 45 seconds to secure their first stage win of this year’s edition.
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In the men’s duo category, Belgian rider Daniel Gathof and Dutch teammate Bart Claessens took top honors after completing the course in 3 hours, 13 minutes, and 56 seconds.
Kenya’s Dan Kiptala and Dutch cyclist Lukas Baum followed 13 minutes and 40 seconds later in second place, while opening-stage winners Bakhari Banzi (Rwanda) and Louis Van Zeeland (Netherlands) finished third, 20 minutes and 57 seconds behind the leaders.
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South African pair Bianca Haw and Wade Young continued their impressive run by winning the mixed duo category in 4 hours, 5 minutes, and 21 seconds.
They were trailed by Portugal’s Oscar Pujol and Mude Rodriguez, who finished 3 minutes and 10 seconds behind, while Rwanda’s Eli Kwizera and Violette Neza secured third place.
Knoops wins solo stage, Nkurikiyinka trails in second
Belgian cyclist Geert Knoops topped the solo category with a time of 3 hours, 37 minutes, and 29 seconds, finishing 2 minutes and 9 seconds ahead of Rwanda’s Jackson Nkurikiyinka.
Dutch rider Carsper Kaars Sijpesteijin completed the podium in third place.
Nkurikiyinka, who recently represented Rwanda at the African Road Cycling Championships, said the shift to mountain biking is part of his development.
"After representing my country at the African Road Cycling Championships, I want to continue training hard, so joining mountain biking was another experience I needed,” said Nkurikiyinka, who rides for Nyabihu Cycling Team.
The Rwanda Epic continues on Wednesday, December 3, with riders set to tackle Stage Three, a 52.9 km route around Musanze town, featuring 883 meters of elevation gain.