It has been a quiet day so far on this flat course. With Bralirwa - Stevens having sufficient numbers to control the pace there haven't been any opportunities for a surprise attack. Instead things are coming down to a field sprint. Jean Eric HABIMANA led the group until he ran out of gas with about 1200m remaining. Janvier HADI hesitated for a moment, but now he is all in, trying to accelerate away from the competition. Joseph ARERUYA who sits most immediately behind him. Next door is Renus UHIRIWE, who is either fighting for his own glory or otherwise keeping Jean Bosco NSENGIMANA out of the wind.
HADI doesn't last very long at all. As you can see, there is still plenty of road remaining but he is already dropping fast. Coming around on the left is ARERUYA, while it is NSENGIMANA that is trying to progress up the other flank. Samuel MUGISHA also isn't too far behind but I can not see him winning this race at this point.
ARERUYA survives all the way in too the line. We already know that he is one of the most exciting climbers in the world, but maybe he ought to have moonlighted as a sprinter more often? Either way, he has secured himself another year in the national colours despite the unfavourable parcours.
Rwandan National Championships '23 Individual Time Trial
This has to be one of the more exciting NCITTs this season. There are four riders with a realistic shot of winning, more than that: an equal shot of winning. Fortunately the organisers have decided to send us one right out of the gates: Bonaventure UWIZEYIMANA. He sets the initial benchmark of 1h08'27". Decent, but not amazing, given what we have seen in other competitions.
His first competitor is Samuel MUGISHA (here depicted passing Moise MUGISHA, no relation). Despite the best efforts of his teammate, UWIZEYIMANA retains a lead of 6" at the first checkpoint. Neither Janvier HADI nor Jean Bosco NSENGIMANA, the other favourites, can match that either, passing through with deficits of 8" and 10" respectively.
What had looked like it might be an exciting competition is quickly deteriorating into a one-man show. MUGISHA clocked in more than 35" behind UWIZEYIMANA at the second chrono. That is a loss of ½-minute in just over 10 kilometres. Things aren't going much better for NSENGIMANA, who has been weaving through slower riders, and is 47" down. HADI manages to limit his losses, and matches MUGISHA's time. Still, there is a lot of ground to be made up.
None of them can do it. MUGISHA finishes 33" down. NSENGIMANA claws his deficit back to just 22". That is only enough for the final step on the podium as HADI is just marginally quicker. All three were faster in the final sector than Bonaventure UWIZEYIMANA, but that didn't matter, he had already blown them out of the water through the middle-part of the ride.
Rwandan National Championships '23 
