On Sunday, the long stay of “La Conti” in Rwanda came to an end. After eight stages, seven top-10s, and a eighth place overall for Brieuc Rolland, Jérôme Gannat’s men closed this unprecedented experience with some satisfaction, despite the loss of Colin Savioz and Joshua Golliker along the way. A first experience that could be followed by others.
On Wednesday, the first half of the Tour du Rwanda ended with the nice solo ride of Brieuc Rolland, who just missed three kilometres to take victory in Rubavu. The young Frenchman then began the second part of the event, and the 13-kilometer uphill time trial between Muzanze and Kinigi Kwita Izina, in seventh position overall. “The altitude was the difficult point in this time trial because we were going over 2000 meters,” explained Jérôme Gannat. In the race against the clock, the leader of “La Conti” eventually obtained eleventh place, 1’18 behind the winner Pierre Latour, slipping to ninth overall. “It’s pretty much the performance we expected, he was where he belonged,” added Jérôme. The next day, while Joshua Golliker was a non-starter due to stomach issues, a nice battle was expected on the slopes of Mount Kigali through the “Wall” of Kigali. The favorites actually broke away even before the final climb, which a group of five men tackled with a small margin. Within the yellow jersey group a few seconds behind, Brieuc Rolland fought as hard as he could. “It was going fast on the climb because Lecerf, who was defending his jersey, put a lot of pressure on the Wall,” said Jérôme. “Brieuc gradually lost a bit of ground. The sequence between the Wall and Mount Kigali proved hard for him. This is the stage where he lost the most time.”
“We can be satisfied”, Brieuc Rolland
Fifteenth at the top, 1’24 behind the winner and new yellow jersey Joseph Blackmore, the man from Brittany still retained his top-10 overall. “My only regret of the week might be this finish at Mount Kigali, where I was less comfortable with the altitude,” he said. The seventh stage, Saturday, was not supposed to change the GC hierarchy, but a big fight still took place for almost 70 kilometers to enter the breakaway. Six men eventually went away, and competed for victory, which Itamar Einhorn claimed. “The surprise came from Brieuc, who won the bunch sprint after a three-kilometre climb averaging 4%,” added Jérôme. “It was important for him. He was a bit disappointed after Mount Kigali, but this seventh place gave him confidence for the next day.” “I managed to pull myself together,” confirmed the 20-year-old young man. The event was finally due to conclude on Sunday with a very short stage of 73 kilometers, again in the Rwandan capital. “We started with a circuit in Kigali which will be pretty much the same as during the world championships”, explained Jérôme. “It was quite winding and difficult. Unlike Friday, we first climbed Mount Kigali in the final, then we came down to tackle the Kigali Wall.”
“The key was positioning, and Ben and Ronan were incredible,” Brieuc said. “They supported me to perfection until Mount Kigali. Then the race opened up, and I did everything I could. I found myself in the first group at the bottom of the cobbled Wall, then the legs did the talk. The yellow jersey came out and I took sixth place in the sprint”. “La Conti” therefore completed its week of racing in Rwanda with a seventh top-10 in eight stages, and with a confirmed eighth place overall. “For our first participation, we didn’t really know what to expect,” explained Jérôme. “We were aiming for a top-10 overall then stage victories or podiums. We didn’t get far from the second goal, but the top-10 is here. Brieuc could even have grabbed the top-5 with a bit more luck. He entered the top-15 in all stages and was very consistent. He lacked the little spark and only cracked on Mount Kigali on Friday. We’ll also remember his nice solo on the fourth stage.” “I think we can be satisfied with this Tour du Rwanda,” said Brieuc. “For the entire team, it was a first to travel to Africa. Everyone was super motivated, but there was obviously a little stress when it came to dealing with the altitude. It’s a shame to have lost Josh and Colin, but even with three riders left, we didn’t give up. Everyone remained extremely focused, riders and staff alike. It was really a great experience. Personally, I gained confidence regarding my physical condition, and I am already looking forward to racing in Europe.”
“Quite an extraordinary race”, Jérôme Gannat
Apart from the sporting balance, Jérôme Gannat raved about this first participation in the event. “It was an interesting race, with several development teams, four ProTeams and strong riders,” he introduced. “It’s also quite an extraordinary race. From the outside, we don’t realize the popular enthusiasm, which is truly exceptional. As long as you don’t see it with your own eyes and set foot in Rwanda, you cannot know. The stages weren’t too long either, which was pretty good for the start of the season. We came with little apprehension, regarding the heat, the altitude or the accommodation conditions, but the feedback is very positive for the riders. The roads were also excellent overall. I don’t know if we’ll come back, but I think we should. Maybe there will be a lot more teams interested next year due to the Worlds approaching, but if we come back, we’ll know where we set foot and how to prepare, perhaps by coming a bit prior. Regardless, it was a great experience for the riders. It was also the first race of the year, and I hope it will kick off the season well for the five riders who were here.” Next race for “La Conti”: Le Samyn, on Tuesday.
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