Poland's Gucwa claims scorcher of a stage
By Christoph Herby published
Mars moves into yellow through time bonuses
Zbigniew Gucwa claimed the scorching second stage of the Tour du Faso, while Laurent Mars moved into the yellow jersey. Gucwa sprinted to victory over a greatly diminished peloton in a race of attrition. Burkina Faso placed two riders in the first four, coming ever-closer to winning on home soil.
Stage two followed much of the same route as stage 1, travelling in the opposite direction to return to Ouagadougou, the capital city, before continuing to the finish in Ziniaré. Despite starting in the cool morning, temperatures quickly exceeded 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) as the peloton sped along the flat roads of northern Burkina Faso.
Leading into the first intermediate sprint, the field split into several smaller groups. A selection of seven riders went clear after the sprint. With good representation from the African teams, the small peloton allowed the breakaway to achieve a gap that fluctuated between one and two minutes.
The seven riders arrived in Ouagadougou to thunderous applause from the hometown crowd that lined the streets of the sprawling capital. A Burkina Faso rider claimed the intermediate sprint in downtown Ouagadougou.
The peloton also put on a show for the crowd, accelerating single-file through the dusty streets. As riders continued to drop from the peloton, the breakaway was absorbed between Ouagadougou and Ziniaré.
Approaching the finish Jérémy Burton (Belgium) made an audacious solo attempt. He crossed the red banner solo with 1k to go. Zbigniew Gucwa launched a long sprint 500 meters before the line, passing Burton and accelerating ahead of the Burkina National Team’s valiant effort to claim victory.
The Polish sprinter riding for the French composite Team Reine Blanche had time to raise his hands as he crossed the line ahead of Rasmané Ouedraogo (Burkina Faso National Team) and Laurent Mars (Belgium). Although yellow jersey Peter Van Agtmaal (Holland) finished in fifth position, Mars claimed the yellow jersey through time bonuses, while Rasmané Ouedraogo retained the jersey of Best African Rider.
Sunday’s third stage will be the longest of the 2010 Tour du Faso, covering 163.5km from Kaya to Dori. Featuring two sections of unpaved piste, the stage may present an opportunity for the local teams who are accustomed West Africa’s challenging roads.
1 | Zbigniew Gucwa (Pol) | 3:39:59 |
2 | Rasmane Ouedraogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
3 | Laurent Mars (Bel) Belgium | |
4 | Hamidou Yameogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
5 | Peter Van Agtmaal (Ned) Netherlands | |
6 | Christophe Premont (Bel) Belgium | |
7 | Joris De Boer (Ned) Netherlands | |
8 | Damien Leguay (Fra) | |
9 | Bassirou Kante (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
10 | Damien Tekou (Cmr) Cameroon | |
11 | Becaye Traore (Sen) Senegal | |
12 | Julien Schick (Fra) | |
13 | Ngock Yves Ngue (Cmr) Cameroon | |
14 | Ben Zakalia Fofana (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
15 | Jocelyn Lemperriere (Fra) | |
16 | Abdul Wahab Sawadogo (Bur) | |
17 | Wim Botman (Ned) Netherlands | |
18 | Joseph Sanda (Cmr) Cameroon | |
19 | Guillaume Soula (Fra) | |
20 | Oumarou Minoungou (Bur) | |
21 | Laurent Zongo (Bur) | |
22 | Yacouba Yameogo (Bur) | |
23 | Guillaume Tourret (Fra) | |
24 | Clovis Guewa (Cmr) Cameroon | |
25 | Noufou Minoungou (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
26 | Jérémy Burton (Bel) Belgium | |
27 | Idissa Ouedraogo (Bur) | 0:00:13 |
28 | Harouna Ilboudo (Bur) | 0:00:27 |
29 | Sawadogo (Bur) | 0:01:51 |
30 | Siaka Mariko (Mli) Mali | |
31 | Martinien Tega (Cmr) Cameroon | |
32 | Leander Schreurs (Ned) Netherlands | 0:01:52 |
33 | Rabaki Jeremie Ouedraogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
34 | Massamba Diouf (Sen) Senegal | |
35 | Saidou Tall (Bur) Burkina Faso | 0:02:50 |
36 | Boukare Kagambega (Bur) | |
37 | Gueswende Sawadogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
38 | Abdou Sokondo (Bur) | |
39 | Hamidou Diarra (Mli) Mali | 0:03:36 |
40 | Bolodigui Ouattara (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
41 | Moustapha Diaw (Sen) Senegal | |
42 | Tidiani Sanogo (Mli) Mali | |
43 | Etienne Tarbagdo (Bur) | |
44 | Sébastien Destruel (Fra) | |
45 | Oumar Sangaré (Mli) Mali | |
46 | Mounir Khalil (Fra) | 0:07:32 |
47 | Dodji Toulassi (Tog) Togo | |
48 | Inoussa Guébré (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
49 | Nicolas Chadefaux (Fra) | |
50 | Augustin Amoussouvi (Ben) Benin | 0:09:56 |
51 | Mbaye Mor Diop (Sen) Senegal | |
52 | Rob Mud (Ned) Netherlands | |
53 | Nkama Kouamé (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
54 | Fabrice Goutaudier (Fra) | |
55 | Malik Thiam (Sen) Senegal | |
56 | Cédric Chartier (Fra) | |
57 | Bram Delie (Bel) Belgium | 0:10:50 |
58 | Abdoul Aziz Nikiema (Bur) | |
59 | Edem Daku (Tog) Togo | 0:13:38 |
60 | Saliou N'dour (Sen) Senegal | 0:15:13 |
61 | Johan Procee (Ned) Netherlands | |
62 | Dorian Albouy (Fra) | 0:15:31 |
63 | Benjamin Trouche (Fra) | |
64 | Aubiege Soglo (Ben) Benin | 0:15:49 |
65 | Abdoulaye Roamba (Bur) | 0:20:53 |
66 | Mamadou Coulibaly (CIv) Ivory Coast | 0:22:35 |
67 | Géoffrey Decarvalho (Fra) | |
68 | Simeon Green (GBr) | |
69 | Chadas Kakpo (Ben) Benin | 0:32:36 |
70 | Yacouba Togola (Mli) Mali | 0:47:25 |
71 | Armand Kossavoun (Ben) Benin | 0:51:41 |
72 | Kowouvi Dossouvi (Tog) Togo | |
73 | Flaubert Douanla (Cmr) Cameroon | |
74 | Michel Awounou (Tog) Togo | |
75 | Alphonse Ntcha Mpo (Ben) Benin | 0:56:36 |
76 | Kokouvil Apedo (Tog) Togo | 1:00:18 |
77 | Arnaud Dehorgue (Fra) | |
DNF | Jérôme Gilbert (Bel) Belgium | |
DNF | Mawulil Deh (Tog) Togo | |
DNF | Adrien Massanet (Fra) |
1 | Laurent Mars (Bel) Belgium | 7:01:40 |
2 | Peter Van Agtmaal (Ned) Netherlands | |
3 | Guillaume Soula (Fra) | 0:00:06 |
4 | Zbigniew Gucwa (Pol) | 0:00:56 |
5 | Christophe Premont (Bel) Belgium | 0:01:12 |
6 | Rasmane Ouedraogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | 0:01:13 |
7 | Hamidou Yameogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | 0:01:16 |
8 | Damien Tekou (Cmr) Cameroon | 0:01:17 |
9 | Damien Leguay (Fra) | 0:01:19 |
10 | Clovis Guewa (Cmr) Cameroon | |
11 | Julien Schick (Fra) | 0:01:20 |
12 | Bassirou Kante (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
13 | Ngock Yves Ngue (Cmr) Cameroon | |
14 | Wim Botman (Ned) Netherlands | |
15 | Abdul Wahab Sawadogo (Bur) | |
16 | Oumarou Minoungou (Bur) | |
17 | Noufou Minoungou (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
18 | Becaye Traore (Sen) Senegal | 0:08:37 |
19 | Jérémy Burton (Bel) Belgium | 0:08:50 |
20 | Joris De Boer (Ned) Netherlands | 0:08:54 |
21 | Jocelyn Lemperriere (Fra) | |
22 | Joseph Sanda (Cmr) Cameroon | |
23 | Laurent Zongo (Bur) | |
24 | Idissa Ouedraogo (Bur) | 0:09:07 |
25 | Martinien Tega (Cmr) Cameroon | 0:10:28 |
26 | Siaka Mariko (Mli) Mali | 0:10:45 |
27 | Leander Schreurs (Ned) Netherlands | 0:10:46 |
28 | Rabaki Jeremie Ouedraogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
29 | Saidou Tall (Bur) Burkina Faso | 0:11:27 |
30 | Abdou Sokondo (Bur) | 0:11:35 |
31 | Bolodigui Ouattara (CIv) Ivory Coast | 0:12:30 |
32 | Etienne Tarbagdo (Bur) | |
33 | Harouna Ilboudo (Bur) | 0:15:40 |
34 | Guillaume Tourret (Fra) | 0:17:02 |
35 | Boukare Kagambega (Bur) | 0:18:03 |
36 | Gueswende Sawadogo (Bur) Burkina Faso | |
37 | Moustapha Diaw (Sen) Senegal | 0:18:49 |
38 | Cédric Chartier (Fra) | 0:18:50 |
39 | Abdoul Aziz Nikiema (Bur) | 0:19:43 |
40 | Ben Zakalia Fofana (CIv) Ivory Coast | 0:22:09 |
41 | Yacouba Yameogo (Bur) | 0:22:10 |
42 | Massamba Diouf (Sen) Senegal | 0:24:00 |
43 | Sawadogo (Bur) | 0:24:01 |
44 | Benjamin Trouche (Fra) | 0:24:25 |
45 | Abdoulaye Roamba (Bur) | 0:25:05 |
46 | Sébastien Destruel (Fra) | 0:25:46 |
47 | Nicolas Chadefaux (Fra) | 0:29:42 |
48 | Mamadou Coulibaly (CIv) Ivory Coast | 0:31:29 |
49 | Rob Mud (Ned) Netherlands | 0:32:06 |
50 | Malik Thiam (Sen) Senegal | |
51 | Fabrice Goutaudier (Fra) | |
52 | Tidiani Sanogo (Mli) Mali | 0:32:13 |
53 | Bram Delie (Bel) Belgium | 0:33:00 |
54 | Oumar Sangaré (Mli) Mali | 0:37:20 |
55 | Johan Procee (Ned) Netherlands | 0:37:23 |
56 | Aubiege Soglo (Ben) Benin | 0:37:59 |
57 | Mbaye Mor Diop (Sen) Senegal | 0:38:33 |
58 | Augustin Amoussouvi (Ben) Benin | |
59 | Hamidou Diarra (Mli) Mali | 0:40:35 |
60 | Dodji Toulassi (Tog) Togo | 0:41:16 |
61 | Inoussa Guébré (CIv) Ivory Coast | |
62 | Nkama Kouamé (CIv) Ivory Coast | 0:43:40 |
63 | Saliou N'dour (Sen) Senegal | 0:43:50 |
64 | Géoffrey Decarvalho (Fra) | 0:44:45 |
65 | Simeon Green (GBr) | |
66 | Mounir Khalil (Fra) | 0:45:59 |
67 | Edem Daku (Tog) Togo | 0:47:22 |
68 | Dorian Albouy (Fra) | 0:52:30 |
69 | Flaubert Douanla (Cmr) Cameroon | 1:00:35 |
70 | Yacouba Togola (Mli) Mali | 1:09:35 |
71 | Chadas Kakpo (Ben) Benin | 1:10:06 |
72 | Kowouvi Dossouvi (Tog) Togo | 1:28:40 |
73 | Michel Awounou (Tog) Togo | |
74 | Armand Kossavoun (Ben) Benin | 1:29:11 |
75 | Alphonse Ntcha Mpo (Ben) Benin | 1:30:20 |
76 | Kokouvil Apedo (Tog) Togo | 1:37:48 |
77 | Arnaud Dehorgue (Fra) | 1:41:37 |

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