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Tour du Rwanda: Lecerf wins in Rubavu, teammate Reinderink retains Yellow Jersey

On the 21st of February, the Soudal-Quickstep ​D​evelopment team dominated Stage 4 of Tour du Rwanda 2024, a 93-kilometer route from Karongi to Rubavu along Lake Kivu. William Lecerf emerged victorious, clocking in at 2 hours, 19 minutes, and 22 seconds.

Lecerf’s teammate from the Netherlands, Pepijn Reinderink, maintained his hold on the prestigious Yellow ​Jersey, leading the ​General Classification (GC) with a total time of 9 hours, 23 minutes, and 34 seconds over 362.7 kilometres of racing.

Among the Rwandan riders, Moise Mugisha of Java Inovotec finished 18th in the sprint​ on Wednesday, ​he is 17th overall just seven seconds behind the ​GC leader. Eric Manizabayo follows closely in the 21st position, trailing by 57 seconds​ on GC.

Despite the stage’s brevity, a challenging 3,000-meter climb added complexity to the race, keeping the peloton on edge. Early breakaway attempts by​ world-renowned cyclist Chris Froome of Israel Premier Tech and Pierre Latour of TotalEnergies were quickly nullified by the vigilant peloton​ within the last 5km.

​Earlier in the race, Frenchman Brieuc Rolland of Groupama-FDJ launched a solo attack, holding the lead for nearly 40 kilometres until the final sprint. In the sprint finish, Lecerf powered ahead, securing victory for Soudal-Quickstep, with​ Colombian Jhonatan Restrepo of Polti-Kometa and Julien Simon of TotalEnergies trailing behind.

With Reinderink donning the Yellow Jersey once more, all eyes turn to the upcoming Stage Five in northern Rwanda: a 13-kilometer uphill individual Time Trial from Musanze to Kinigi on Thursday 21st of February.

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