Thokozani Mahlangu protects teammate in Tour du Faso
A South African rider scoops the Most Aggressive Rider award after an all-out effort to keep his compatriot at the top of the general classification.
Two cyclists from Middelburg joined forces yesterday in the Tour du Faso.
The Tour du Faso is an annual 10-stage road cycling race held in Burkina Faso. As a 2.2-class event on the UCI Africa Tour, it covers approximately 1 398km across the West African landscape.
Mahlangu protects yellow jersey
Thokozani Mahlangu rode like a man possessed to ensure that Gustav Basson, a former pupil of HTS Middelburg, would start today still holding the lead and wearing the yellow jersey.
Basson finished within the main pack after rival teams launched a fierce assault in an attempt to unseat him.
After the stage, Mahlangu received the Most Aggressive Rider award.
The race begins and ends in Ouagadougou, featuring 17 teams, including UCI Continental teams and national squads from across Africa and Europe. The stage was won by Algerian Hamza Yacine in 03:09:56, at an average speed of 44.38km/h.
In the general classification, Basson retains the yellow jersey. He was followed by Burkinabe Soumaïla Ilboudou, second, 41 seconds behind, and Belgian Timmy de Boes, third, 44 seconds behind.
All 70 riders who started the stage finished. The seventh stage will be contested today between Ouagadougou and Pô (144.02km).
Local roots at Exxaro academy
Mahlangu’s competitive development began locally when he started training with the Middelburg Cycling Club before joining the Exxaro MTB Academy.
