Tour of Rwanda: Areruya sprints to victory in Musanze

In the first bunch sprint of the 2017 Tour of Rwanda on stage 3, Joseph Areruya erased the previous day’s disappointment of losing the yellow jersey by taking the win over Edwin Avila (Team Illuminate) into Musanze. The Dimension Data for Qhubeka rider enjoyed his second win in three days after his solo effort into Huye on Monday.

Team Illuminate's Simon Pellaud retained the yellow jersey by placing fourth in the bunch sprint after a chaotic finale to the short and fast stage. Inside the final kilometre, a large crash towards the back of the bunch cut the peloton in half but without any effect on the GC favourites.

Pellaud has one-minute advantage over Areruya, while 2016 champion Valens Ndayisenga (Tirol) remains third at 1:17 after placing 22nd in the sprint.

After Pellaud silenced the home crowds with his stage and yellow jersey haul in Rubavu, the patriotic Rwandan crowds were again in full voice for Areruya in Musanze.

"Today I am much happier than yesterday because today I win the stage. That is why I am very happy," said Areruya, feeding off the energy of the boisterous crowds in the cycling hotbed of Musanze.

The day started with an aggressive approach by Dimension Data for Qhubeka, with Areruya explaining the team plan was to attack Pellaud after the race leader admitted that he did not expect to hold yellow after Musanze.

"Today the plan was to target the time of the guy who has the yellow jersey but it was not good. I was there in the front and then there were attacks and the bunch caught us. Then I tried to tried to win the stage," said Areruya, adding that Pellaud has proven to be a worthy adversary.

"I think I am not stronger than him because he showed us he is strong."

With a solo win and bunch sprint victory, Areruya has showcased his characteristics thus far in his national tour, but the 21-year-old is doubtful of his chances for a third win, which would see him joining Jean Bosco Nsengimana and Kiel Reijnen as the only riders to have won three stages or more in one edition of the race.

"The first stage, it is my favourite stage because last year I also win there. That is why I am very happy with this stage. I can try. I don't think I can win again, but I hope," he said.

For Pellaud, the first experience of a leader's jersey was a day to remember and savour.

"It was amazing. Sometimes we saw the yellow jersey gives you wings and today it gives wings not only to me, but also to all our team. My teammates did a great job. We are just three riders here and I had the feeling we were nine or ten riders pulling for me," he told Cyclingnews.

With the top ten unchanged following stage three, stage 4 from Nyamata is expected to see a GC shake-up with Pellaud pragmatic about his chances of retaining yellow.

"We saw this morning when I entered the climbs that the best climbers are far in front of front of me. The stage tomorrow is three long climbs and it will be very hard to control. We will fight for it but we don't think of yellow," he said.

How it unfolded

The peloton rolled out for four laps of the Rubavu circuit, which took the riders within a few hundred metres of the Congo border in the west. At the départ réel, the skirmish to establish the breakaway was kicked off by Dimension Data for Qhubeka, and Stefan De Bod and Samuel Mugisha went on the offensive in the company of Brett Wachtendorf (Lowestrates.ca) and Adne Van Egelen (Bike Aid).

On the technical circuit, their lead was holding firm at 30 seconds on lap two. On the third lap, the lead was out to 50 seconds with Bonaventure Uwizeyimana (Club Benediction) and Ephrem Tuyishimire (Les Amis Sportifs) trying to bridge across.

Once out of the circuit and onto the road east to Musanze after 35km of racing, however, the early break was caught, and a new group of eight was established following more aggressive racing in the bunch. De Bod, Mugisha, and Van Engelen were joined by Areruya, Didier Munyameza (Rwanda National Team), Kibrom Giday, Natnael Mebrahtom and Saymon Musie Mehari of the Eritrea national team.

Across the hilly parcours, the leaders pulled out one minute on the bunch and continued to lead over the day's sole categorised climb. On the fast and technical descent into Musanza, the organised peloton cut the advantage as a bunch sprint looked an increasingly likely outcome. Behind the breakaway, Illuminate and Rwanda National Team were pulling the strings.

Despite late attacks, including one from Pellaud, the peloton was back together for the final kilometre. Areruya then repeated his formidable win in Huye and finished off the job for Dimension Data for Qhubeka, but was unable to double up with the yellow jersey as Pellaud held firm.

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