General classification
1. MULUEBERHAN Henok (GBF) 28h58'01''
2. CALZONI Walter (Q36) 28h58'01''
3. LECERF William (SQD) 28h58'02''
4. DE LA PARTE Victor (TEN) 28h58'05''
5. MAIN Kent (RSA) 28h58'34''
14. MUHOZA Eric (Bike Aid) 29h06’31”
Eritrean rider Henok Mulueberhan has described the moment he won Tour du Rwanda 2023 as ‘best day of my life’ after eight days of fierce battles across the country.
The 23-year-old, who rides for Italian team Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè, was crowned winner of the 15th edition of the race on Sunday after an outstanding performance in the last and decisive stage to Canal Olympia, Rebero, that saw him beat second-placed Walter Calzoni of Q 36.5 PRO Cycling Team to the yellow jersey by just microseconds.
He claimed his first Tour du Rwanda title after clocking 58 hours 28 minutes and one second, covering a total distance of 1,054.6 kilometers. He also won the final stage after dominating the last kilometer.
ALSO READ: Mulueberhan wins Tour du Rwanda 2023
"This is the best day of my life,” he told the press after the race.
"I have always dreamed of winning the Tour du Rwanda because it is the toughest race in Africa. It will remain a great moment in my career because now I have proved that I can win a big race," he added.
The final stage took action on Sunday when Mulueberhan was still in an uncertain position in the overall classification with both Calzoni who had raced the same time and Soudal-Quick Step’s Belgian William Lecerf lagging behind by one second, standing in his frame.
The young Eritrean remained very concentrated during the whole stage and even wanted to add some decoration to his yellow jersey by winning the last stage in front of his rivals in the overall classification.
The African Continental champion went on to take another big win. He won the final stage whilst in the yellow jersey and conquered the overall classification after resisting the Mur de Kigali. Calzoni and Lecerf completed the podium as first and second runners-up.
"I feel so privileged to win this race. It was the most difficult cycling competition I have ever competed for. I am so excited to be going for this kind of record” admitted Mulueberhan.
"I owe this kind of performance to my teammates and the extensive training, competitions and experience gained with my team over the past years. It’s not over now, I will have to work hard going into next year’s edition which will have long distances to ensure that I defend this title,” he further noted.
The 75.3km final stage was Muluaberhan’s last test as all eyes were on him to see whether he would keep the yellow jersey he regained Saturday three days after he lost it to French rider Thomas Bonnet on Wednesday.
Before the stage, the general classification was very tight, since only 4 seconds separated the five first riders.
But thanks to his victory, Mulueberhan managed to keep his lead till late raising his arms to celebrate before watchful eyes of cycling enthusiasts who saw him cross the finish line at Canal Olympia, Rebero.
"It was very hard to win this tour. I lost the yellow jersey and I started to think ‘how can I win it back?’ We had a meeting with the team and we discussed how we can get the yellow jersey back. It was difficult but we believed with our team and we worked together for the win,” he added.
President Paul Kagame was in attendance at Canal Olympia, Rebero to grace the closing ceremony of the race which had been underway throughout the past eight days since February 19.
He awarded Mulueberhan the Yellow Jersey as Tour du Rwanda Champion, his latest silverware after another African Road Race victory in Accra, Ghana, a fortnight ago.
A campaign to forget for Rwandans
Foreign riders continue to raise the bar high at Tour du Rwanda which no Rwandan rider has managed to win the race since it was sanctioned to 2.1 category on UCI Africa Tour in 2019.
In a gruesome stage that featured 75,3km of climbing, home boys failed to live up to their status quo, hence failing yet to make it in the top 10 on general classification.
Bike Aid’s Eric Muhoza was the only hope throughout the race and his worth ethic, consistency and teamwork kept him dreaming that he would come eight seconds behind to not only win Tour du Rwanda at the last stage but also end foreign riders’ persistent dominance in the race.
ALSO READ: Eric Muhoza: A standout Tour du Rwanda 2023 candidate?
He, however, has a hard time coping with the pace of race frontrunners Calzoni, Mulueberhan and even the Eritreans who visibly agreed to work for their fellow countryman to win the race even if he was not their teammate.
The 21-year-old d finished 26th place in stage 8 and as a result dropped to 14th place on the general classification but remained the overall best Rwandan rider of the just-concluded race.
Final jerseys Tour du Rwanda 2023:
1. Stage winner: Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project)
2. Final GC: Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project)
3.Best climber: Marc Oliver Pritezen(Ef Education)
4. Best Sprinter: James Fouche (Bolton Equities Black Spoke)
5. Best Promising Rwandan Rider: Muhoza Eric) Bike Aid)
6. Best Young Rider: Calzoni Walter (W36.5 Pro Cycling Team)
7. Best Team: Euskaltel-Euskadi (Spain)
8. Best African Rider: Henok Mulubrhan (Green Project)
9. Best Rwandan: Muhoza Eric (Bike Aid)
10. Best in Breakaway: Mark Stewart (Bolton Equities Black Spoke)