Songezo Jim found himself in the breakaway at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo for the second day in a row. The South African was again caught with less than 10 kilometres to race as he and his two breakaway companions were reeled in by a chasing bunch. Youcef Reguigui who has been struggling with a stomach bug returned to form by sprinting to seventh on the stage. Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung remain in a good position in the race as Linus Gerdemann maintained his fourth position on the general classification.
Directeur Sportif, Kevin Campbell gives us a rundown of the day’s events…
“Today went according to our plan to put riders in the break. With the large time gaps after stage 1 we feel there is a good chance of a break staying away. Songezo tried really hard. He was riding really well in the front group proving again to be the strongest man in the break. I thought at one point he would stay away but the other teams got a sniff of victory and caught him with less than 10km remaining. It was great to see Youcef take part in the sprint and finish 7th. It’s definitely a confidence booster for the next day as the guys are getting to know each other in the leadout. Linus is certainly adding a lot of experience and advice which everyone is benefiting from. There was some nervy moments in the sprint as a dog ran across the road but luckily we weren’t affected by it. Tomorrow is another day and we will try again. We’re in a good position on the general classification so we’ll look to protect and better it.”
