Team Rwanda’s 19-year old Valens Ndayisenga became the youngest Rwandan rider to win any stage in Tour of Rwanda after he dramatically claimed stage two (Rwamagana-Musanze) race in 4 hours six minutes and 44 seconds, yesterday.
Ndayisenga, a debutant in Tour of Rwanda, beat off stiff competition from compatriot and Karisimbi teammate Abraham Ruhumuriza and South Africa’s Team MTN-Qhubeka rider Jay Robert Thomson, who had won stage one from Kigali-Kirehe on Monday. Ruhumuriza and Thomson came in second and third, respectively, in 4h06’44’’and 4h06’58’’ respectively.
Yesterday’s stage, a distance of 151.9km, was the most gruelling of this year’s Tour of Rwanda legs.
It is the biggest win of the youngster in his
career
. Ndayisenga goes into Wednesday’s stage three, Rubavu-Kinigi (69.4km) wearing the Red Jersey reserved for a stage winner.
The sterling performance confirmed Ndayisenga as one of the brightest prospects not only for Rwanda’s cycling but the African continent as well, according to some cycling enthusiasts.
The second leg victory was even more significant for Team Rwanda, having been sealed in the northern city of Musanze, the base of Rwanda’s cycling stars for the last seven years.
Ndayisenga was in the leading group of 14 riders going into the last moments when he and Ruhumuriza peeled away to take a memorable one-two for Rwanda.
But Team MTN-Qhubeka’s Thomson retained the Yellow Jersey.
Yesterday’s stage is the longest in the 2013 Tour of Rwanda.
Yet Ndayisenga was modest in his win. “I am really happy, it’s like a dream come true. I am happy for my teammates too because we work as a team, we have managed to achieve what we planned last night.”
Team Rwanda and Akagera’s Janvier Hadi, who won Monday’s prologue, came in sixth position yesterday. He is in sixth spot in the general classification and has the White Jersey as the best Rwandan rider in the Tour of Rwanda 2013 so far.
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