Israeli rider Itamar Einhorn of NSN Development Team claimed victory in stage six of Tour du Rwanda on Friday. The stage was made up of 84.1km from Rubavu to the Volcanoes region in Musanze. Despite the relatively short distance, the stage featured a demanding 1,435 meters of elevation gain, with the decisive Kinigi circuit playing a crucial role in determining the winner. Einhorn clocked 2 hours, 1 minute, and 1 second to secure his second stage victory of the 18th edition of Tour du Rwanda, adding to his opening stage win from Rukomo to Rwamagana. His teammate Luke Tarling finished second, completing a strong one-two finish for NSN Development Team, while Gabina Munoz Hodie of Soudal Quick-Step Development Team came third. The yellow jersey remains within NSN Development Team and is still held by Moritz Kretschy, despite his 37th-place finish in the stage. After a neutral 6km rollout, several riders attempted early breakaways, but the peloton quickly brought them back. At around the 15km mark, three riders broke clear: Bravo Ribeiro (Soudal Quick-Step Development Team), Jurgen Zomermaand (Picnic PostNL Development Team), and Zeray Araya (Team Eritrea), gaining a 15-second advantage over the peloton. Shortly afterward, Avancini Da Silva (Localiza) and Oliver Mattheis (Bike Aid) bridged across to join the leaders, forming a five-rider breakaway group. However, the peloton reeled them in after approximately 20km, with NSN Development Team taking control at the front of the race. With 25km remaining, Rwanda’s Mike Uwiduhaye of Benediction BanAfrica Team and Pedro Rossi of Localiza launched a decisive attack, opening a gap of 55 seconds ahead of the peloton as the riders approached the challenging Kinigi circuit. Inside the final 10km, Rossi dropped Uwiduhaye to ride solo with a 10-second advantage. However, the peloton responded strongly and regrouped with 5km remaining, setting up a sprint finish dominated by NSN Development Team. Einhorn proved the strongest in the final sprint, sealing his second stage victory in this year’s race and further underlining his team’s dominance. Rwandan rider Eric Muhoza of Team Amani impressed with an eighth-place finish, while Moise Mugisha crossed the line in 15th place. Stage 6 results 1. Itamar Einhorn (NSN Development Team) – 2h01’01” 2. Luke Tarling (NSN Development Team) – same time 3. Gabina Munoz Hodie (Soudal Quick-Step Development Team) – same time 4. Sala Roger Pareta (Movistar Team Academy) – same time 5. Jeremie Zemke (Rembe Rad-Net) – same time
