Daniel Gathof and Bart Classens clinched the 2025 Rwanda Epic men’s duo title after clocking a total time of 10 hours, 3 minutes, and 41 seconds, sealing the overall victory as the mountain bike race concluded on Friday. The Belgian–Dutch pair also dominated Stage 5, winning the challenging 77.3km course featuring 1,392 meters of elevation gain, from Nemba to Shyorongi, in 2 hours, 51 minutes, and 20 seconds, finishing 8 minutes and 19 seconds ahead of the Kenyan–Belgian duo of Dan Kiptala and Lukas Baum. Rwanda’s Bukhari Banzi, riding alongside Belgian cyclist Louis Van Zeeland, completed the top three in a stage that also featured the women’s duo, mixed duo, and solo categories, attracting a total of 77 riders. ALSO READ: Kiptala and Baum win stage 4 as Rwanda Epic reaches its climax In the women’s duo race, Rwanda’s Martha Ntakirutimana and Dutch rider Elodie Kuijper completed the stage with an impressive time of 3 hours, 44 minutes, and 22 seconds. In the mixed duo category, the South African pair Bianca Haw and Wade Young crossed the finish line first in 3 hours, 31 minutes, and 38 seconds. Rwanda’s Eli Kwizera and Violette Neza followed 9 minutes and 28 seconds later, while the Portuguese pair Oscar Pujoh and Mude Rodriguez came in third. In the solo category, British rider Thomas Nærland claimed the Stage 5 victory in 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 18 seconds, strengthening the overall lead he has maintained since Monday. Belgian rider Geert Knoops finished second, 12 minutes and 12 seconds behind, followed by compatriot Wim Wijnen.
