Ireland's Jesse Ewart made a brave bid for glory up the famed Mur de Kigali climb on Tour du Rwanda's sixth stage yesterday. The pressure applied by the Bike Aid rider up the cobbled climb - which was packed by spectators, as the video below reveals - split the group and saw the best riders go clear.
While Ewart was unable to shake off the other top general classification contenders, he finished the stage in 9th place and is now 5th overall in the UCI 2.1-ranked race with two stages remaining.
Yesterday's stage 6 - some 152km from Musanze to Kigali - was won by Ukrainian Anatoliy Budyak; the Terengganu Polygon rider victorious on a day when his homeland was under attack by the Russian military.
The 26-year-old emerged best in the late exchanges, on the last incline to the finish line, after the Mur de Kigali had been negotiated. Budyak claimed the win just ahead of Natnael Tesfatsion (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli), who took over the race lead.
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The front group split in the finale, with Ewart - an Australian-born rider who has declared for Ireland - finishing in 9th and part of an eight-rider group at 16 seconds.
Ewart is now 5th overall, some 29 seconds off the race lead and just 13 seconds off the final spot on the GC podium. The race continues today, Saturday, with the HC summit finish on Mont Kigali.
