Tour du Rwanda. Ilkhan Dostiyev is second in the final General Classification
The prestigious stage race of the UCI Africa Tour, the Tour du Rwanda has come to an end today. The 8th stage, which took place near Kigali, consisted of numerous ascents, including those on the cobblestones.
The Kazakh rider of Astana Qazaqstan Development Team Ilkhan Dostiyev showed an amazing performance, launching some powerful attacks during the final kilometers of the race. As a result, he took third place in the stage and became second in the overall classification of the Tour du Rwanda.
For the 21-year-old Kazakh rider this is a significant achievement in his career, as it is his first major podium in a 2.1 race.
“I came to the Tour du Rwanda in good spirits and wanted to achieve a good result. I knew that the race profile was generally suited to my abilities, and I felt confident that I would be successful in the mountain stages. Firstly, I managed to do well in the individual time trial, which allowed me to enter the list of contenders for the General Classification. Therefore, in the subsequent stages, I attempted to maintain my position, always being in a group of other favorites. Naturally, the team provided me with a great support; I was constantly covered until the crucial moments of the stages. Today was an essential and pivotal stage, and until my attack upon the HC climb the teammates were there, staying close to me. As a consequence, today I gave it my all, finishing third in the stage, and defending my second place in the overall standings. I am immensely pleased with my podium at the Tour du Rwanda, and I wish to thank the entire team, the riders and the staff for an incredible week”, – said Ilkhan Dostiyev.
“For Ilkhan this was just his second race of the season, and in addition, he didn’t have much experience racing with professional teams. Therefore, to be frank, Ilkhan pleasantly surprised us. He spent a very strong individual time trial, and afterwards, he fought for the podium in every stage. Of course, this is a great result, especially against big professional teams, and we can’t but be happy. I think this is a significant success for our development team”, – said Sergey Yakovlev, Sports Director of Astana Qazaqstan Development Team.
Photo credit: @Tour du Rwanda