Premont prevails on Faso's longest stage

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Former race leader Christophe Premont may have lost any chance at the overall victory after missing the key breakaway on stage four, but the Belgian scored a stellar solo stage win today on the longest stage of the 2010 Tour du Faso.

The 177km route from Boromo to Bobo-Dioulasso took in rolling hills, but fortunately for the tired peloton enjoyed buttery smooth roads as pleasant and scenic as anything in Europe, and in sharp contrast to the previous day's stage.

Much like stage six, a breakaway slipped off the front before the first hot point sprint. Of the nine riders in the move, there was only one French rider (Team Cantal) amongst the enthusiastic racers from Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cameroon, and Ivory Coast. With the peloton content with the status quo in the general classification, the break easily gained four minutes. Could this finally be an opportunity for an African national team to claim a stage?

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After six consecutive stage wins by European riders, there was talk in the peloton of deliberately letting a local team win a stage. However, as a UCI 2.2 stage race, the Tour du Faso is no place for gifts. To the dismay of the French Reine Blanche team which had been setting tempo, the pursuit came from Cameroon and Burkina Faso, who launched numerous attacks in pursuit of their escaped countrymen.

These attacks accelerated the pack over the undulating hills outside Bobo-Dioulasso. Within the last 20k, the nine leaders split apart as riders from the peloton bridged to the move.

On the last long gradual hill of the day, Premont of Belgium came from behind to attack the leaders ten kilometers from the finish. He opened up a substantial gap, and sped through the wide boulevards of Bobo Dialaso solo. Showing his Belgian Kermesse experience, Premont easily negotiated the twists and turns of the final 5k that took the race through the heart of Burkina Faso’s second-largest city.

Turning onto the final boulevard with a 57 second lead, Premont had ample time to celebrate Belgium’s third stage win. Two groups raced in behind, including a mix of riders from the early breakaway and newly bridged riders. Abdoul Aziz Nikiema of Burkina Faso won the field sprint for second place.

Julien Schick of Team Reine Blanche finished safely in the peloton to retain his yellow jersey. A frustrated Rasmané Ouedraogo remains in second place and in the top African rider jersey, while Belgium's Laurent Mars claimed the points classification lead.

Friday’s eighth stage will head back north, covering 124.8km from Bobo-Dioulasso to Pâ.