Team Rwanda rider Moïse Mugisha had his Tour du Rwanda 2023 winning dreams short-lived the time he abandoned the race citing fatigue behind his sudden withdrawal. Mugisha, the only Rwandan rider to have ever won a stage at Tour du Rwanda since it was sanctioned to 2.1 in 2029, was one of pre-tournament favorites for the international cycling tournament. All of a sudden, he pulled out of the race with two stages to go when he abandoned after racing into the 120th kilometer of the 157 kilometers that riders were due to contest for from Rubavu to Gicumbi on Friday, February 24. The 26-year-old blamed his body for the failure to complete the grueling race. I had trained before the competition and my body was in a very good condition, but after just some kilometers into the sixth stage, it just could not move well. I could not feel the same because it was not functioning well like before. I hence opted to bow out,” Mugisha said. Of course I am disappointed that I haven’t been able to finish the race, which was my first priority. But now that I am done with my race. The goal was to get over that last climb and see if I could make it to the finish line but the body was not responding well so I had to give up, he added. Mugisha quit the race and became the second Rwandan rider to abandon after Eric Manizabayo who pulled out in the fifth stage. Manizabayo could have pulled out of the race earlier after he had an accident on stage three when he was riding from Huye to Musanze. He decided to continue the race but failed to do so because he was battling a tonsillitis crisis while racing Thursday’s stage from Rusizi to Rubavu. Eritrean rider Henok Mulueberhan of Green Project-Bardiani was crowned winner of the race, finishing triumphant after covering 1,054.6 kilometers overall in 58 hours 28 minutes while 21-year-old dropped to from sixth to 14th place on the general classification after although he struggled to impress during the final stage to Canal Olympia on Sunday. He, however, remained the overall best Rwandan rider of the just-concluded race.
