An early group of 7
Immediately from the start, Denis Flahaut, apparently in better shape after the stomach worries he suffered on the previous day, takes off for a solo effort. He manages to have a 100m lead before being caught by Ali Thiam (Sen) and Mahamadi Sawadogo (Bur) at first, and then Jérémie Ouedraogo (Bur), Jean Ilboudo (Bur) and Kris Heremans (Bel). This first break doesn't last however, the peloton bunches up after 5 kilometres.

Mahamadi Sawadogo unstoppable
The following attempts with three men, then four, then only one and then again with ten riders proves two things: first of all, gaps never go over the 30'' mark, secondly the peloton never loses time to react. The maximum break lasts 15 kilometres. The unstoppable Mahamadi Sawadago is almost always in the attempts. “We just don't know what metal he's made of”, admits race entertainer Soufiane Coulibaly.

Flahaut aims at both jerseys
At km 80, a group of 4 manages to have a gap of over 30", but the Burkina armada rapidly organises the chase and the escapees are caught 5 kilometres from the finish. Two kilometres from promised land, Stefan Roosen's (Bel) attack looks to be decisive but his 40m lead drops down on the final straigth. The sprint is launched and once again, Denis Flahaut proves to be the most powerful. But Saïdou Rouamba, 5th in Pouytenga, keeps the green jersey for nine little points. For the final stage Flahaut will be fighting two battles. He is indeed only 20" adrift in the best young rider standings, the white jersey is so far still on the shoulders of Senegal's Malick Thiam.

The firemen on time…

By passion, they are all cyclists but they're also firemen. In the “Yvelines” team, their name, professionalism isn't an issue. One can't even talk about semi-pros like in most of the African and European teams of the peloton. Because their lives are different and mostly spent in a fire station. Three days per week (and long days of 24 hours…), the six men fulfill their mission. After necessary rest days, the firemen still have time for serious bike training sessions.

And for these soldiers of fire, sport is a key value, especially those where you don't get injured and miss work. You won't find an amateur running or cycling race without firemen, and most of the time, they're in the leading positions.

In the world of amateur cycling, these men had a reputation to defend. When Henri Ditz told them about the Faso, a race classified at 2.5 in the UCI calendar (just like the Tour de l'Avenir for instance), the reactions were enthusiastic but questions remained: “when I explained what it exactly was, what the course was like and who the competitors were, , I felt a touch of fear”, remembers Henri Ditz. Used to small regional and national races, the firemen were to ride at another level. Indeed, none had before competed in a stage race. “But a good preparation was bound to be good enough” insisted Henri at the time.

And the truth is that the firemen have nothing to blush about, first of all because they should all be on the finish line in Ouaga on Sunday. “Often, we make it to the finish in the same time as a lot of elite riders, in other words riders who are three categories above us, and that proves that we're not ridiculous”, mentions Thierry Lebeau. The best placed rider of the team, Michel Duvigneau, is even 12th overall.

But finally, that doesn't really matter, explains Henri Ditz : “We are here because we love competing, but what we enjoy above all is this unbelievable event. We've never seen so many children on the sides of the road sheering us. In France, when there are 300 fans on the finish line of a race, its fantastic. And that often just concerns the families of the riders”.

Once the stages finished, exhaustion makes way to the good spirit of the firemen. They have for instance decided to bring with them boxes of clothing and cycling equipment, that they will give to the members of all the African teams racing. The six riders have also decided to visit the firemen's station of Ouahigouya, where they could see how different the working conditions were for their African colleagues. “When it takes us 7 to 10 minutes to make it to the scene of an accident, they have to work on a range of 120 kms with only one heavy vehicle. If something happens while they're on a fire, the firemen of Ouaga have to come, explains Thierry Lebeau after his visit. But then again, I'm impressed by what they manage to do with such small means. Like for everything here, they just manage to do things with what they have”. Abdul Wahad Sawadogo, yellow jersey holder is a perfect example of that riding on a broken bike he had to repair himself.