http://www.worldonbike.org/2011/11/30/uci-africa-tour-eritrea-strikes-on-its-home-ground/#.Ttf9E2Mk6dB
UCI Africa Tour: Eritrea strikes on its home ground
by WoB on November 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Crowned Champion of Africa, Natnael Berhane is the new leader in the rankings
The Eritrean riders reinforced their supremacy in the UCI Africa Tour
thanks to the African Continental Championships which took place in
mid-November on their territory – or rather their mountains – in
Asmara, the country’s capital. As with the previous edition, organised
in Rwanda, their domination was unchallenged.
First, they won the team time-trial on a 36-kilometre-long course,
ahead of the South Africans by 1’26” and of the Moroccans by 1’34”.
Daniel Teklehaymanot, the iconic defending multiple African Champion,
then won the individual time-trial, over the same distance, relegating
the South Africans Louis Meintjes and Reinardt Janse Van Rensburg
respectively at 46” and 1’14”. However, as he will become
neo-professional in 2012, in the Australian team GreenEdge, any points
scored by Teklehaymanot will not count towards the UCI Africa Tour
rankings.
The climax happened during the road race, in the streets of Asmara, on
a circuit perched at an altitude of 2325 metres, though flat. The
Eritreans scored a double victory, with Natnael Berhane in front of
his teammate Tesfay Abrhaha Habtemariam. The victory was decided in
the sprint, between fourteen riders who had broken away two laps from
the end. Once more, Van Rensburg completed the podium.
Having already defeated the professional rider Jérôme Pineau (Quick
Step) in January, during the last stage of the Amissa Bongo Tropicale,
in Gabon, 21 year-old Berhnane, trained this season at the UCI World
cycling Centre in Aigle.
Thanks to his titles of Champion of Africa, in individual and team
time-trial, he leads the UCI Africa Tour with 106.67 points. Hamidou
Zidweiba, the first Burkenese to win the Faso Tour in the last six
years, on home ground, is second with 75 points. Abrhaha Habtemariam,
the other Eritrean is third with 70 points. Ngock Yves Ngue, the
rising star of Cameroonian cycling, propelled to the head of the UCI
Africa Tour one month previously thanks to his victory in the Grand
Prix Chantal Biya, is now fourth with a total of 56 points.
Eritrea (252.68 points) is logically leader in the ranking by nations,
with a lead of 30 points over South Africa and 111 on Burkina Faso.
Algeria (139.32 points) and Cameroon (90 points) are next.
The rankings could change when the next results table is published on
25th December, as they will take into account the Tour of Rwanda.
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Received on Thu Dec 01 2011 - 22:59:31 EST