The seventh and final stage of the Tour du Rwanda was cancelled due to severe weather conditions with just over 13km left to race. Initial mud on the course prompted a re-route, but the stage was eventually halted completely due to strong winds and thunderstorms.
“Due to unforeseen weather conditions causing slippery roads, the President of the UCI jury has decided to halt the final stage of the Tour du Rwanda with one lap to go,” the organizers confirmed on their social media platforms.
As a result, the overall General Classification standings from the previous day’s stage 6 will determine the final winner of the Tour du Rwanda. Fabien Doubey of the TotalEnergies team had been leading the GC by just six seconds over Henok Mulubrhan of XDS Astana, with Oliver Mattheis of BIKE AID a further five seconds back in third.
The cancelled stage 7 was planned as a short, punchy 61.6km route in the Rwandan capital of Kigali, with three laps of a 15km circuit. The race was halted just as the peloton was about to start the final lap, with a two-man leading group of Jacob Bush (Development Team Picnic PostNL) and Dawit Yemane (BIKE AID) holding a lead of nearly three minutes.
“The safety of the riders is our top priority,” said the race organizers. “While we’re disappointed not to complete the full course, the prudent decision was made to end the stage early due to the worsening weather conditions.”
