Last week, five of our riders took part in the Tour du Rwanda and its particularly demanding route. Throughout the 8 stages, our riders seized the opportunities offered, making Team TotalEnergies proud.
Known for its particularly hilly geography, Rwanda promised our riders an intense week from the start. After a team time trial to kick off this 2024 edition, the serious business began the next day with a 130 km stage. All five of our riders finished in the top 25 of the leading group, and the team claimed the first position in the team rankings, proving that the squad was on top form at the start of the week.
On stage 3, which again featured a bunch sprint, Fabien Doubey finished 5th after a great stage, and established himself as a serious contender for the overall classification. The following day, Pierre Latour kicked off the major operations, with an ambition that would follow him for the rest of the week. The 30-year-old climber was in the breakaway for more than 50 km, collecting many points for the mountain classification. Julien Simon, who proved his strength in the final stretch, took the 3rd position in the sprint in Rubavu, after a huge burst of energy.
During stage 5, another time trial, this time an individual one, awaited our riders. In full possession of his abilities, Pierre Latour put in a top-flight performance, taking victory – the Team’s first in 2024 – by a margin of 34 seconds over his nearest rival. Fabien Doubey once again finished 5th and took advantage of the opportunity to move closer to the overall podium (4th, 9 seconds behind the leader). At the end of the day, the Team also recovered its distinctive jersey of best team.
The following day, a shorter but very demanding stage awaits the Team, with a finish at Mount Kigali. Once again, Pierre Latour showed his worth by picking up points on the climbs, enabling him to end the day with the distinctive best climber jersey, which he would keep for the rest of the week. Fabien Doubey was in the running until the final kilometers, but unfortunately lost a little time to his rivals in the closing section. The following day, on stage 7, it was Paul Ourselin’s turn to make his mark at the front. In the breakaway for most of the day, “Paulo” produced an impressive performance to finish in 5th position, and in the process, picked up the distinctive jersey of most combative rider of the day.
Despite his efforts over the past few days, Pierre Latour was still not satisfied, and was once again at the front during the 8th and final stage. The French rider achieved another strong performance, finishing 2nd of the stage and consolidating his lead in the best climber classification. Fabien Doubey once again broke into the Top 10 and took advantage of the opportunity to move up one position in the general classification, finishing this week in 5th position.
Throughout the week, the Team showed a conquering spirit, taking part in numerous breakaways and demonstrating an irreproachable state of mind. This 16th edition of the Tour du Rwanda saw the team claim its first victory of the season, as well as several podium finishes, rewarding a great deal of teamwork and initiative.
