Weekly Wrap-Up

2023 – Week 7

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen some exceptional performances by African cyclists, from individual riders winning multiple races to riveting teamwork by those who participated in team time trials at the African Continental Championships in Ghana.

157 African riders competed in 7 different events on the World Stage, many of which performed exceptionally well and a few of which took home the win. The winners included the Algerian National Team at the African Continental Championships – Team Time Trial, Uganda’s Charles Kagimu winning the Individual Time Trial, Team Mauritius in the African Continental Mixed Relay Championships, and Eritrea’s Henok Mulubrhan crowned the African Continental Road Race Champion.

Henok continued his winning streak taking at Tour du Rwanda, seizing the yellow jersey with 2 stage wins, and a 2nd and 3rd place. South African Callum Ormiston celebrated his first ever UCI stage win, crossing the line solo in the queens stage while, Marc Pritzen took home the KOM jersey.

Callum Ormiston wins Stage 5 Tour du Rwanda Source: Tour du Rwanda

This week has not had much participation by African riders, we look forward to the rounding off of week 8 with the Strade Bianche on 4 March 2023. Ashleigh Moolman Pasio joins the start list in the WWT race and Henok Mulubrhan in the UWT race.

Featured Rider of the Week

Henok Mulubrhan is this week’s featured rider for his excellent performance as the African Continental Champion, a bronze medal in the Individual Time Trial and overall win at Tour du Rwanda together with two stage wins, 2nd and 3rd places.

Henok is a 23-year-old cyclist from Eritrea currently riding for Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizané. He is ranked 4th in the UCI, 128th in the UCI World Rankings and has won a total of 6 UCI races.

Eritrea continues to dominate the Nation Rankings in the Africa Tour as well as being ranked in the Top 15 in the World, followed by South Africa (25th) and Morocco (31st) in the UCI World Rankings.

Eritrea continues to dominate the Men’s Individual Rankings in the UCI Africa Tour with three riders in the Top 5 and four in the Top 10. South Africa has only two riders in the Top 10 rankings, having not participated in the African Continental Championships.