Earlier this week, we posted some footage from a stage of the Tour du Rwanda which showed the enthusiasm of the locals for the race.
The organisers have today posted more footage showing how massive the crowds are at the race. Today’s 103.9-kilometre stage took the riders from Musanze to Kigali and this footage is from the Wall of Kigali, a cobbled climb in the capital city.
The stage was won by Rwandan rider Valens Ndayisenga (Dimension Data for Qhubeka) after a well-timed attack on the final climb. Ndayisenga finished ahead of his Eritrean trade team-mate Metkel Eyob with Tesfom Okubamariam (Eritrea) in third.
These three riders occupy the top three positions on GC. Ndayisenga leads from Eyob by 42″ with Okubamariam a further 51″ down.
The riders had originally been scheduled to tackle the climb twice but this was reduced to just one ascent due to inclement weather. Below is the drone footage from the final climb which shows how massive the crowds are.
VIDEO #WallofKigali
FULL RESULTS 8th #TdRwanda (2.2)
Stage 6 » Musanze › Kigali (103.9k)https://t.co/qXQ8rpy8p9pic.twitter.com/EdYMofyV8w— Tour du Rwanda (@TourofRwanda) November 19, 2016
Here’s another short clip which really shows the enthusiasm of the crowd. It’s also interesting to note how disciplined the spectators are, and despite the massive numbers, they don’t encroach on the road and respect the riders.
#bring #UCIKigali2021 look this fans in @TourofRwanda #TdRwanda #uci @UCI_cycling @gallagherbren @LRcyclingTeam @petosagan @chrisfroome pic.twitter.com/sEJGt0yjJS
— #ejoheza 🇷🇼 (@inezafrica) November 19, 2016
The race concludes tomorrow with a 108-kilometre circuit race around Kigali.
And THAT’S how a crowd should behave.