![\"lill.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/wp-media.bikehub.co.za\/production\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ccs-2-0-88157300-1353478203.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/a><\/p>\nDarren Lill won Stage 3 and claimed the overall lead at the Tour of Rwanda on Tuesday.<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Photo:<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/span> www.cyclenation.co.za<\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Stage 2 on Tuesday morning was over a distance of 44.1km with 1 049 metres of climbing from Kigali to Muhanga, while the afternoon\u2019s stage, originally scheduled to be 71km, was 76km with 918 metres of ascent from Muhanga to Huye.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s actually quite tricky doing a double-stage day. I find I\u2019m way more comfortable doing longer single stages in a day, but it obviously turned out well for the team as I\u2019m leading from fellow South Africans, Shaun Ward, by seven seconds and Dylan Girdlestone, by 14 seconds,\u201d said the former South African and African road champion.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m a little surprised because I was off the bike for three weeks with a virus and only had two weeks of riding before this tour. I actually declined my selection, asking CSA to send someone in better form or younger, but they said my experience was important and I\u2019d be a valuable mentor to the younger riders on the team,\u201d explained Lill.<\/p>\n \u201cBoth stages were quite hilly today, which broke the racing up a bit. We\u2019ll hit some bigger climbing stages on Wednesday and Thursday, so we\u2019re expecting to be on the defensive. There are some strong climbers from Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya. There are also teams from France and Canada here,\u201d said Lill.<\/p>\n Lill\u2019s stage win and Yellow Jersey come at the end of a year in which he produced some strong performances in stage races for Team Bonitas in races in South Africa, Spain and Portugal.<\/p>\n \u201cI am suffering a bit with the altitude, having come from the coast. We\u2019re climbing as high as 2 700 metres above sea level, which is pretty high, about a kilometre higher than Johannesburg,\u201d said Lill. \u201cBut the morale of the team is good and we have some good depth. We\u2019re going all out to keep this Yellow Jersey in the team.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEven though he\u2019s not at full strength right now, Darren\u2019s experience has counted in his favour. It\u2019s great to see him leading an international stage race and having the South African team so well poised,\u201d said Team Bonitas owner, Malcolm Lange. \u201cAt Team Bonitas we\u2019re intent on raising the standard of South African road racing, which is one of the main reasons we have registered as a UCI Continental team again for 2013.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pleased CSA sent Darren to help mentor the young team. If we want to see our riders in bigger numbers and in podium contention at World Champs and Olympic Games, we need to be scoring as many points as possible at races like the Tour of Rwanda,\u201d added Lange.<\/p>\n The eight-day, nine-stage tour ends on Sunday.<\/p>\n