Debesay secures stage 1 victory
Team Rwanda Karisimbi continue to dominate overall classification
- Race Home
-
Stages
-
Prologue3.5km | Amahoro Stadium -
-
Stage 194km | Amahoro Stadium - Kibungo
-
Stage 2151.1km | Rwamagana - Musanze
-
Stage 3123.3km | Musanze - Muhanga
-
Stage 4126.4km | Muhanga - Rubavu
-
Stage 5173km | Rubavu - Nyanza
-
Stage 6125.7km | Huye - Kigali
-
Stage 7114.2km | Amahoro Stadium -
- View all Stages
-
Eritrean Mekseb Debesay of the German team Bike Aid-Ride For Help won the first stage of the Tour du Rwanda on Monday in Kibungo. He beat three other Eritreans in a sprint finish including Aron Debretsion from the AS.BE.CO Cycling Team, and Elyas Afewerki and Haile Dawit, both from team Eritrea.
"I didn’t know what tactics to adopt in the final," said Debesay, "I finally chose the option of sprint because I saw that my compatriots were preparing for the arrival. It is a great happiness [to win today]."
The Rwandan Janvier Hadi retains the yellow jersey before the first mountain stage on Tuesday and his team Rwanda Karisimbi is dominates the top five places in the overall classification.
Brief Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Bike Aid-Ride for Help | 2:26:37 |
| 2 | Aron Debretsion (Eri) AS.BE.CO Cycling Team | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
| 3 | Elyas Afewerki (Eri) Eritrea | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
| 4 | Haile Dawit (Eri) Eritrea | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
| 5 | Temesgen Buru (Eth) Ethiopia | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
| 6 | Bonaventure Uwizeyiamana (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Dirk Nel (Rsa) South Africa | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
| 8 | Lahcen Saber (Mar) Maroc | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
| 9 | Bereket Yemane (Eri) Eritrea | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| 10 | Yohannes Welderfiel (Eri) AS.BE.CO Cycling Team | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Janvier Hadi (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | 2:30:41 |
| 2 | Valens Ndayisenga (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | 0:00:02 |
| 3 | Jean-Bosco Nsengimana (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | 0:00:03 |
| 4 | Bonaventure Uwizeyimana (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | 0:00:04 |
| 5 | Joseph Biziyaremye (Rwa) Rwanda Karisimbi | 0:00:07 |
| 6 | Mekseb Debesay (Eri) Bike Aid - Ride For Help | Row 5 - Cell 2 |
| 7 | Temesgen Buru (Eth) Ethiopia | 0:00:12 |
| 8 | Elyas Afewerki (Eri) Eritrea | 0:00:13 |
| 9 | Amanuel Ghebreizgabhier (Eri) AS.BE.CO Cycling Team | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
| 10 | Aron Debretsion (Eri) AS.BE.CO Cycling Team | Row 9 - Cell 2 |
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
'We have already taken some incredible steps, but we are far from finished' – Unibet Rose Rockets add new head of racing as invite to Tour de France targeted
Former Lotto chief performance officer Aike Visbeek joins ProTeam for 2027 season -
Amflow PX Carbon Pro e-MTB review: More power, more choice and a premium price tag
With 1,500 watts of peak power, the Amflow PX Carbon Pro is the most powerful electric mountain bike you can ride on the trails, but is it too much oomph? -
UCI opens voting for its Fans’ Choice Awards with some surprising nominations - Who would get your vote?
Voting closes on December 1 for feat, sprinter, climber, domestique and young rider of the year -
Argon 18 Nitrogen Pro review: A modern aero package but it badly needs a change of seatpost
The geometry errs on the side of stable rather than reactive, but if that's what you're after it's a very solid machine



