Yes, the bilingual race radio service is perfect and from the voice of the Swiss speaker, with great international experience in major world races, the numbers come out, as expected. Even if the breakaway takes on significant proportions, going ahead of the riders in the fifth stage of the Tour du Rwanda is extremely instructive, certainly not diminishing the race facts.

There's an initial still image in Rusizi, a location on the shores of Lake Kivu where, unfortunately, the situation has become dramatic in the Congolese territory. We had already seen a photograph of a four-story building on a cell phone screen, now we know where it is located, in the same place where a stage finish was set in 2024. Seeing that building in person has a different effect, especially because even roadside, two hours and fifteen minutes before the start, the crowd has gathered everywhere, while commercial activities in the border center are open, including a hardware store and a bar, also with a French name. People crowd behind the barriers covered with silver, platinum, and gold sponsor brands, which can judge an event from these details. They start, quickly gaining elevation, to reach the zero kilometer after which the day's attackers will not be caught unprepared. Thus spoke radio tour... du Rwanda.

Proceeding, one confirms that the uniforms of the many schoolchildren offer a chromatic view of strong impact, perhaps also here with school autonomy in effect, seeing light blue, yellow, green, red smocks. Passing people carrying pineapples and potato sacks with absolute nonchalance, one encounters (again) tea fields, never before so intensely green. With discretion towards those working, a motorcyclist friend with a flag, a yellow drapeau, stops and asks permission for a few photos.

While the five leaders still have a significant margin, the scenario changes dramatically at the attack of the third pass of the day, Nyungwe National Park, 8.7 km at 5.1 percent, after previously tackling Gisakuura, 5.8 km at 7.1 percent. These may not be place names that - we emphasize maybe - will gain fame, but just to say the national park climb leads to 2,484 meters. The asphalt, wide and beautiful, can wait, because what surrounds it is a dense forest, where the tourism board did not place monkeys and a gazelle just two meters from the riders' tape.

Without being overtaken by the race's head, there's time to greet a group of French people dressed to the nines and intent on trekking, just to enjoy blocking traffic and somewhat mischievously responding to the canonical question "what time are they passing?". The quintet of attackers manages to pass first on the last climb when - if Visit Rwanda has had a hand in it, it can't be bad - the press cars stop and capture a dance and percussion ensemble in front of an eco-chic tourist location. Heading towards the finish, learning the Belgian Marivoet's last name, memorizing it considering his sprint towards the achievement. In Huye, descending in elevation, the avenue where a sprint was expected hosts the solo finish of the UAE Gen Z rider. Under the Amstel and Canal Plus tents, those with passes chat convivially, while nearby the animation begins. The hotel for most teams is just a hundred meters from the finish line. Today a transfer of about an hour to get to the start of a stage that will lead again to the capital Kigali, an appetizer for Sunday's grand finale entirely focused on the world championship perspective.

www.raggidafrica.it