![\"ccs-41808-0-81179600-1384764736.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-41808-0-81179600-1384764736.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nImage credit: MTN-Qhubeka<\/span><\/p>\n Team MTN-Qhubeka p\/b Samsung ended as the best team after it placed four riders in the top ten.<\/p>\n Louis Meintjes was the team\u2019s fastest man, finishing third behind Hadi. Meintjes trailed Hadi\u2019s winning time of 4 minutes 5 seconds by a further three seconds. Johann van Zyl was fourth on the day with Jay Thomson and Songezo Jim eighth and tenth respectively.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a hard course,\u201d Thomson said after the stage. \u201cWe can be happy with four of us finishing in the top ten. That\u2019s our first goal achieved for the week, as we didn\u2019t lose much time. It\u2019s going to be a long week and we\u2019re happy that no one crashed and we got through the opening day ok.\u201d<\/p>\n Thomson went on to speak about the event as a whole. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to come here and not take it seriously. It\u2019s a beautiful place and the amount of people supporting the race is incredible so we\u2019ll respect it. We\u2019ll give it everything we have the next few days and make sure we enjoy it as well as spend some time with MTN Rwanda who get to see us race at home.\u201d<\/p>\n The race marked the return of Adrien Niyonshuti. The Rwandan lined up in his home country for his first race of the season. He finished the course 19 seconds off the winning time, rolling across the line in 35th place. \u201cIt\u2019s good to be racing with my teammates again,\u201d Niyonshuti said. \u201cToday was just a short stage but it feels good. I am happy to show my team Rwanda and how beautiful it is. I think they will see all the hills but we will have a good time here.\u201d<\/p>\n Stage one takes place from Kigali to Kirehe 129,9 km. Rwanda is known as the country of 1000 hills and won’t disappoint with the amount of climbing the peloton can expect in the next few days. <\/p>\n