Tour du Rwanda: Pau Martí gives NSN Development Team second consecutive victory with stage 2 sprint win

There were back-to-back wins for NSN Development Team on stage 2 of the Tour du Rwanda, with Spain's Pau Martí sprinting to the win in a tough finish in Huye, the day after Itamar Einhorn won the opening stage.

Finishing on the flat but after a climb, NSN dominated the uphill drag of a finale to allow Martí to surge to the victory.

He beat Eritrea's Henok Mulubrhan into second – who usually rides for XDS Astana but is with the national team this week – whilst Mauro Cuylits was third, following a lot of work by Lotto-Groupe Wanty in the finale.

Martí stepped up to the WorldTour team this year after three years with the Israel-Premier Tech Academy, but is riding with the development squad in Rwanda this week, where only national and Continental teams are in attendance.

Stage 2 took in 135km from Nyamata to Huye in the south of Rwanda, with a 1.4km hill at 5.9% in the finale.

A three-man breakaway had been away for much of the day, composed of Miguel Heidemann (REMBE rad-net), Bruno Martins Lemes (Localiza Meoo / Swift Pro Cycling) and Alexander Erasmus (Tshenolo Pro Cycling Team).

They were caught with 10km to go, with NSN leading the chase, in time to set up a battle from the peloton in the finale.

One rider tried to go on the attack in the finale, and another came down in a crash, but NSN's high pace kept things together to the line to deliver the team their second win in as many days.

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