Soudal Quick-Step Devo’s solid run at the Tour du Rwanda continued on Friday.
One of the most consistent riders of this edition, Hodei Muñoz took his fifth top ten in six days, at the end of the week’s shortest stage, travelling from Rubavu to Musanze, over just 84 kilometers.
Despite the presence of two long climbs on the course, it came down to a bunch sprint Friday afternoon. After just two hours of racing, the 19-year-old Basque got a chance to show again his impressive speed in a hectic mass gallop after a top effort of Erazem Valjavec and finished for the second time on the podium – a result that helped him move up to third on the points classification.
“We set out with the intention of blowing the race apart so that Henrique and Said could move up in the ranking, but the slopes weren’t steep enough. Because of that, we had to change our plan and focus on the sprint, and with the help of a perfect launch of Erazem in a very fast finish, I could secure another podium here, which makes me happy”, said Hodei at the finish.
The overall ranking remained the same with two stages to go, which means young Brazilian Henrique Bravo continues to be Soudal Quick-Step Devo’s best placed rider, in eighth position, just a few seconds from the top five.
Photo credit: ©Wout Beel
