OUAGADOUGOU — Burkinabè cyclist Paul Daumont lost his Tour du Faso yellow jersey on Sunday, a title he had held since the first stage of the race. The National Technical Director (DTN) Martin Sawadogo outlined the reasons for this setback.

According to a new release by Burkina Information Agency, Daumont became a target after taking the yellow jersey in the first stage. “This is what happened in the 3rd stage where the teams united against Burkina,” Sawadogo explained. He highlighted that bonuses in the race weighed heavily in favor of Belgian competitors and added that Burkinabè teams used up a lot of energy during the race.

Sawadogo explained that Daumont needed to either join the trio at the finish to earn bonuses or secure points during intermediate sprints. He was only nine seconds ahead of Wouters Rutger of Belgium. “The Belgian regains the jersey, three seconds behind Daumont,” Sawadogo said.

As for rumors of internal strife within the national A team, Sawadogo refuted such claims, stating that there is “a certain cohesion, a certain solidarity at the level of the Burkina national team.”

Apart from the national A team, Western and Central regional teams also participated but could not support the primary team. According to Sawadogo, “their level is not homogeneous. They come to learn alongside others.”

Despite the loss, Sawadogo promised a determined effort in the upcoming 4th stage from Ouagadougou to Koupéla, which is 136.8km long. “The Tour is several stages and tomorrow we will be able to bounce back,” he concluded.