Belgian rider William Junior Lecerf and his team, Soudal Quick Step, are doing whatever it takes to keep the yellow jersey with two stages remaining before Tour du Rwanda 2023 hits the climax on Sunday.
Lecerf will return to action on Saturday wearing the coveted jersey as the overall leader of Tour du Rwanda race despite coming seventh in Friday’s stage six, 14 seconds behind stage winner Matteo Badilatti.
Badilatti gloriously rode his way to the finish line in Gicumbi, all the way from Rubavu, in another solo sprint after a glorious escape from the breakaway.
The Swiss, who rides for Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, covered 157 kilometers in four hours 11 minutes and five seconds, 10 seconds ahead of second-placed Walter Calzoni.
Badilatti had to wait until he was 30 years old and 6 days as a professional rider to win a stage at Tour du Rwanda.
Bike Aid’s Eric Muhoza remained best Rwandan rider in the race after coming in the 10th place in Stage Six,14 seconds off stage winner Badilatti.
The 21-year-old also climbed to sixth in the general classification but will have to wait and pull some magic in the two remaining stages if he is to outsmart race overall leader Lecerf who remains 11 seconds ahead of the youngster.
Meanwhile Moïse Mugisha of Team Rwanda abandoned the race after he suffered fatigue which forced him out at the 120th kilometer of the stage, becoming second Rwandan rider to pull out of Tour du Rwanda after Eric Manizabayo who withdrew during Thursday’s fifth stage from Rusizi to Rubavu.
The sixth stage featured some more climbing, perhaps the hardest of the entire race which started Sunday, February 19 and runs through February 26.
There were five climbs spread throughout the day, with more constant gradients and easier to control.
The 6.6Km climb could spoil fun for those looking to keep it under control towards the end however, and the summit finish at Gicumbi sees 5.4 kilometers and can see differences created towards the end.
