Jermaine Zemke (20) beats WorldTour pros in Tour du Rwanda

Jermaine Zemke has won the fifth stage of the Tour du Rwanda. The 20-year-old German proved faster in a bunch sprint than Itamar Einhorn and Henok Mulubrhan. Zemke's compatriot Moritz Kretschy remains the leader.

The fifth stage of the Tour du Rwanda was a short one. In Rubavu, riders had to complete nine laps of just over nine kilometers each. The circuit was far from flat, but nowhere was it truly steep. After 82 kilometers, a bunch sprint was the most likely outcome.

Not everyone accepted that result quietly, as there were several breakaway attempts. However, no one really got any significant gap. With about twenty kilometers to go, Jurgen Zomermaand managed to open a nice gap. The Dutchman, who had lost his leader’s jersey the day before, rode solo for a long time with about a twenty-second lead over the peloton. In the final lap, though, he was reeled back in.

Heading for a sprint
The development team NSN Cycling then kept up a high pace. The Swiss squad not only had the GC leader Moritz Kretschy in their ranks but also Itamar Einhorn, who usually rides for a WorldTeam and had already shown himself the fastest in the opening stage of the Tour du Rwanda. The team therefore benefited from a bunch sprint. And that bunch sprint came to pass.

NSN had a strong lead-out train, but Jermaine Zemke managed to take the front position before the last corner combination. The German from REMBE | rad-net then held that position until the finish. He secured his first professional win. Einhorn managed to stay on Zemke’s wheel but no further. He finished second. XDS Astana rider Henok Mulubrhan, racing this week for the Eritrean national team, had to settle for third place.