The yellow jersey on the front of the scene
The passage in Mali having been planned only for a day, the peloton left Sikasso for a return journey to Orodara using the same road, except that no circuit had been set for the finish. The field took off in a very fast pace with Belgian rider Gunter Cuylits rapidly attacking alongside yellow jersey A.Wahab Sawadogo and Alexandre Perret (Fra). The trio is eventually caught 5 kms later. Jérémie Ouedraogo (Bur) proves then that he has excellent legs trying two breaks in 15 kms: first of all with Bart Vendrig (Hol), and then with Yann Baefcop (Fra). None of these attempts is conclusive with the gap on the peloton never going over the 20 second mark.

Cuylits chases the points
Carrying the pink jersey on his shoulders, Gunter Cuylits (Bel) breaks away from the peloton at km 29 with the intention to defend his jersey at the intermediate sprint of Ziekorobougou (km 36), but without really wanting a stage success, at least at the beginning. Because the counter-attack launched by three riders, Jérémie Ouedraogo (Bur), Mahamadi Sawadogo (Bur) and José Lopes Pires (Ang), changes the plans of Cuylits. The arrival in the group of Fabrice Debrabant (Fra) and Saïdou Tall (Bur), at km 46, shows that this could be the good break.

Two runners up in the chase
At km 68, Karel Pattyn (Bel) and Tidiane Ouedraogo (Bur), the two riders in the chase for the yellow jersey, take off to try and catch up the leading group, alongside Angola's Mucanza. But at the same time, Cuylits and M.Sawadogo, who still has the combativity jersey in his possession since the first stage, attack for a final battle.

Two Burkina riders just behind
Ten kilometres from the finish, the two men have around 40 seconds on their former group that has slightly changed with the arrival of Thierry David (Fra). After Cuylits' victory a few metres ahead of Sawadogo, the Frenchman manages to clinch third position and captures the green jersey. A. Wahad Sawadogo, crosses the line with a 49'' deficit and loses the yellow jersey to Pattyn but remains in an interesting position with T.Ouedraogo on the podium of this Tour of Faso.

Party time for Mali

Yesterday, the Tour of Faso lived a historical day. For the first time, the course of the most famous African cycling race left the borders of its country. A real cultural revolution for the people of Burkina who had already had to accept A.S.O.'s modification of some of the traditional stages ever since the creation of the event back in 1987. Based on the example of its 'big brother', the Tour de France who has taken the habit of visiting its neighbouring friends, the Tour of Faso chose Mali for its first visit abroad. And Sikasso as its arrival stage.

Situated 30 kilometres after the border, it looked as if Sikasso had been expecting a visit from the Tour all its life, based on the enthousiasm of the inhabitants during the three laps of the city-centre cicruit. Burkina Faso's minister of sports Tondoun Sessouma, who travelled for the occasion in the car of race director Jean-Claude Hérault, immediatley felt the atmosphere: “It feels like where at the Alpe d'Huez!”, he admitted at the entry of Sikasso.

If the country is slightly less hilly for such a comparison, it remained quite a goal for the Mali riders, proud to welcome the Tour in their country. If Mali rider Moussa Diallo is for the moment last of the overall, close to 2 hours behind the leader (at the time) A.Wahab Sawadogo, it was important to show the national colours once in the promised land. National champion Siakab Diallo was however struggling with fever due to a paludism crisis so all the country's responsabilities turned to young Adama Bagayoko.

And why not become, on that very day, the first Malian to win a stage on the Tour of Faso? That's certainly what went through the mind of Bagayoko during all the stage. Although he never managed to take off in the good breakaway, the young cyclist gave everything he had to take off ahead of the peloton in the final lap of the circuit and grab a well deserved 11th spot. Enough to receive national honours for the rest of the year! His team mates however didn't do quite as well in front of their local crowd. For example, Fousseyni Di Ourte felt like the sky had fallen on his head when a puncture occured in the first few metres covered in Sikasso.

If no Malian had the pleasure of carrying one of the leading jerseys, the many followers were delighted with this first experience. The many scarves given out by the Tour partners during every stage, symbolically awarded the fighting spirit of the Mali riders. Concerning the authorities, the minister of sports, already delighted, took the opportunity to announce that his country would be happy to welcome the Tour next year again. One can only expect that many other countries and areas would be delighted to live such an experience!