Itamar Einhorn celebrates after winning the 2nd stage
Itamar Einhorn, who rides for Israel Premier-Tech, produced a superb sprint to beat a pack that included race-favourite William Junior Lecerf to the finish line and win stage two of Tour du Rwanda 2024 on Monday.
The 26-year-old biker became the first Israeli to win a Tour du Rwanda stage after clocking three hours, 17 minutes, and 31 seconds in a 129.4-kilometre route from Muhanga to Kibeho, and seized the much-desired yellow jersey.
Einhorn used the same time as the 11 riders who trailed behind him on the stage classification.
It took him a late breakaway along with Bingoal WB’s Lennert Teugels and Eric Manizabayo of Team Rwanda within the final 10 kilometres.
Lecerf and Pepijn Reinderink, who rides for Soudal Quick-Step, emerged second and third, respectively.
Merhawi Kudus, an Eritrean cyclist who rides for Team Eritrea, walked away with the Best African award of stage two after coming in tenth spot, and there was no Rwandan rider who made it in the top 12.
Moise Mugisha carried off the Best Rwandan, Eritrean rider Aklilu Arefayne won the Best Young African award, whilst Total Energies was named the best team of the stage.
The riders set out in the town of Muhanga district and finished in Kibeho, Nyaruguru district, in a newly established stage.
Henry Alexandre Mayer of Team Mauritius, Shemu Nsengiyumva of May Stars and Team Rwanda’s Didier Munyaneza took off quickly, forming an early breakaway with a five-minute-and-20-second advantage over the peloton, which was led by the Israel-Premier Tech and Polti Kometa teams, after 15 km.
The three-man break put in more effort to extend the gap to an eight-minute-and-15-second lead after 50 kilometres. However, they started to crumble after that and the gap was cut to four minutes after 87 km before Mayer moved to the front alone.
Milan Doine of Lotto DSTNY Development broke away from the peloton, attacked Mayer, and eventually overtook the Mauritian biker after 106 kilometres, while the peloton narrowed the gap to 55 seconds.
Cyclists battle it out in a peloton.
A blistering sprint within five kilometres to the finish line saw Einhorn claiming the second stage of the 2.1-rated race by microseconds over second-place finisher Lecerf.
Mayer’s effort was rewarded after the stage as he won the Best Climber award.
Tour du Rwanda 2023 holder Henok Mulubrhan didn’t take part in the 16th edition after suffering a shoulder injury on February 5 which forced the Eritrean rider to be sidelined for three weeks.
The race leaves the Southern province and heads to the Western province for the third stage on Tuesday, a 140.3-kilometre route from Huye to Rusizi, which is the second-longest circuit this year.
