The Tour du Rwanda, a gruelling week-long cycling competition, has come to a close with a new champion from Eritrea taking the coveted yellow jersey.
After seven days of intense racing through the hills of Rwanda, the final stage saw a fierce battle between the world's top cyclists, but it was the Eritrean rider who emerged victorious, cementing his place in cycling history and bringing glory to his home country.
Henok Mulueberhan from Green Project-Bardiani won the final stage of the Tour du Rwanda 2023 to Canal Olympia in Rebero, a ceremony attended by different officials including President Paul Kagame.
Mulueberhan clinched the yellow jersey by leading the peloton in the final stage, finishing the race after covering 1,054.6 kilometers in 58 hours 28 minutes and one second.
Mulueberhan says he gives his gratitude to his supporters.
“The supporters support us in each and every way, each and every country and I would like to say thank you. My team gives me a lot of motivation not to be nervous because two stage is really hard but I managed to bring the trophy home”.
Despite being the crowd’s most favourite, Bike Aid's Eric Muhoza struggled and dropped to 14th place.
The Rwanda cycling Federation says more training and strengthening of local cycling talents is going to be implemented ahead of upcoming tournaments.
The 23-year-old is the 4th Eritrean to win the Tour du Rwanda tournament , Rwanda hosts the tour du Rwanda tournament every year and is expected to host the world’s cycling championship in 2025.