| 2015 UCI Africa Tour, race 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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.jpg) Rafaâ Chtioui, winner of the 2015 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | 16–22 February 2015 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 955.3 km (593.6 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 23h 02' 08" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2015 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo was the tenth edition of the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo road cycling stage race held in Gabon. It was held between 16 and 22 February 2015. It was rated a 2.1 event and was part of the 2015 UCI Africa Tour.[1] The race is therefore the highest ranked stage race in Africa.[2]
The race is known for bringing amateur African cycling teams together with professional teams from Europe. Team Europcar had dominated the recent editions of the race, having won every edition between 2010 and 2014. The 2014 champion was Natnael Berhane, the first African to win the event, but he was not selected to defend his title. His teammate Yohann Gène was chosen to lead Team Europcar instead.[3]
The 2015 race consisted of eight stages. These began with difficult, hilly stages in eastern Gabon, before coming to the western coast for several stages suitable for sprinters. There was also a team time trial that took place at night, although the times for this did not play a part in the general classification, because of a delay to the start of the stage. The key stage in the general classification of the 2015 race was stage 1, when a breakaway of three riders escaped and was able to stay away throughout the stage; the same riders made up the final podium. Rafaâ Chtioui (Skydive Dubai–Al Ahli) won the first and second stages and took the yellow jersey for the overall victory. These were the first professional wins of his career. Chtioui was the first Tunisian to win the overall victory in the race, and the second African. Following his victory, he became the leader of the 2015 UCI Africa Tour rankings.[4]
The other riders to break away on stage 1, Giovanni Bernaudeau (Team Europcar) and Abdelkader Belmokhtar (Algeria), finished second and third respectively in the general classification. Bernaudeau also won the green and white jersey of the mountains classification. Four of the stages in the race were won by the Bretagne–Séché Environnement team. Three of these were won by Yauheni Hutarovich. The rose jersey of the points classification, however, was won by Yohann Gène, who finished in the top 10 in six stages. The white jersey of the best young rider was won by Bonaventure Uwizeyimana (Rwanda).
- ^ "La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2015 – General Classification". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ Axelgaard, Emil. "Tropicale Amissa Bongo preview". Cyclingquotes.com. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ Lesay, Jean-Damien (15 February 2015). "Cyclisme : la Tropicale Amissa-Bongo sur le grand plateau". RFI (in French). Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Sports Ranking". uci.ch. Union Cycliste Internationale. 25 February 2015. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.