Itamar Einhorn (NSN Development Team) scored the opening stage win and the first race lead of the Tour du Rwanda, speeding to victory in a mass sprint finish in Rwamagana.
The Israeli rider came out on top at the end of the 173.6km stage, beating 19-year-old Spaniard Hodei Muñoz (Soudal-QuickStep Development Team) and Eritrean racer Mewael Girmay (Istanbul Team).
The win is the 10th of Einhorn's career, a tally which also includes two stage wins in Rwanda in 2024. He now leads the race by four seconds from Muñoz heading into stage 2, a 134.6km run from Nyamata to Huye.
Earlier in the stage, Miguel Heidemann (Rembe-Rad-net) and Gabriel Sousa Silva (Localiza Meoo-Swift) formed the break of the day and held out for much of the day. However, with the day's course being largely flat, it was always likely to end up with a bunch sprint.
In the end, the breakaway duo were caught inside the final 2km, and it was NSN who delivered Einhorn to victory, his first since the Tour de Taiwan last March. He now leads the GC by four seconds from Muñoz, while Henrique da Silva Avancini (Localiza Meoo-Swift) is third, also four seconds down.
"I owe them a lot," Einhorn said of his team later. "But with 10km to go, I was a bit worried. I was so relieved when we finally caught the breakaway at 1km to the finish. From there, I followed Fin Tarling's wheel and knew nobody would stop us.
"This victory gives me a lot of satisfaction. I came here very well prepared and in good shape, and I was rewarded for my decision to arrive in Rwanda early to acclimatise.
"Now I'm already looking forward to helping the team with our GC ambitions – and, of course, to trying for more sprint victories when the opportunities come."
Results
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