Henok crosses the line in Musanze.
Eritrean rider Henok Mulueberhan who rides for Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè claimed the third stage of Tour du Rwanda 2023 from Huye to Musanze district in Northern Province.
Mulueberhan conquered the 199.5km stage -the longest stage of the 15th edition of Tour du Rwanda, managing to beat the rest to the finish line in a chilly Musanze town.
Team Rwanda’s Jean Bosco Nsengimana, who had led the race for a long time, putting a gap of nearly one minute between himself and the trailing riders, succumbed to the steep climbs of Gakenke and Buranga, before the peloton eventually caught up with the leading riders.
Mulueberhan, who was already second in the general classification, immediately took over the yellow jersey from race leader Ethan Vernon, who had a race to forget.
The Eritrean celebrates his big stage win.
Vernon, who at the beginning of the tour said he thrives in flat races, could not cope with the ascents of the Northern Province, which even had the local riders struggling.
Vernon claimed the first two stages of the two, keeping the yellow jersey for two days. The Huye-Musanze stage, which was characterised by rain, left the riders struggling given its challenging nature.
Ahead of Stage 4, Mulueberhan will have to face off with second-placed Lecerf William Junior of Soudal – Quick-Step Devo Team, with whom they share the same time. Budiak Anatolli of Terengganu Polygon Cycling Team is third place on the general classification while De la Parte Victor of Total Energies, sits in fourth.
Stage 4 will begin from Musanze and end in Karongi district via Rubavu, a distance of 138.3km.
Henok is now the yellow jersey owner
Nsengimana started in a promising way, leading the race for long.
The race was characterised by rain.
