All classifications
| Stage |
|---|
 |
|
• Individual time • Individual points • Best team • Individual Intermediate Sprints |
|
| Overall |
|
|
• Individual time • Individual points • Best young • Best team • Individual Intermediate Sprints • 1st African • UEMOA |
Stage by stage
| 1 | Friday 26 October | 141 km |
| Sapone > Leo | ||
| 2 | Saturday 27 October | 158 km |
| Leo > Ouagadougou | ||
| 3 | Sunday 28 October | 110 km |
| Ouagadougou > Kaya | ||
| 4 | Monday 29 October | 136 km |
| Kokologo > Boromo | ||
| 5 | Tuesday 30 October | 130 km |
| Pâ > Bobo-Dioulasso | ||
| 6 | Wednesday 31 October | 121 km |
| Bobo-Dioulasso > Bobo-Dioulasso | ||
| 7 | Thursday 1 November | 115 km |
| Boromo (Sabou) > Koudougou | ||
| 8 | Friday 2 November | 178 km |
| Linoghin > Fada N’Gourma | ||
| 9 | Saturday 3 November | 110 km |
| Fada N’Gourma > Zorgho | ||
| 10 | Sunday 4 November | 85 km |
| Laye > Ouagadougou | ||
| Total | 1284 km | |
The race
Friday 26 October 2007| stage 1 | Sapone > Leo - 141 km |  |
|---|
Lahssaini back with a win
Despite a late arrival on the previous night before the start of stage 1, the Morrocan team, as expected, should be one of the leading nations of the 21st Tour du Faso. Mouhssine Lahssaini, who had left the previous edition with a victory in the last stage around Ouagadougou, started this one in style with a fine double. Part of a three-man breakaway as of kilometre 85, the young man first started a series of attacks in the final part before clinching the win after a battle with Roel Egelmeers (HOL). He therefore captures the yellow, green ; pink, blue and white jerseys.
The film of the stage
84 riders at the start
The riders from Mali and Morocco managed to reach Ouagadougou just in time. Fourteen team therefore showed up for the start of the first stage heading from Sapone to Leo with a total of 84 riders registered. Attacks rapidly occurred but on each occasion the pack reacted. At kilometre 16, a group of 18 riders took off. The absence of a leader from Burkina condemned this initiative. After dropping down to 11 men at kilometre 30, the group was eventually caught just before the first intermediate sprint of the day.
The ‘’Californian’’ well present
Lionel Syne (BEL), also known in Ouaga as the Californian of the pack made it first to the line and captured three precious points but the pack remained bunched. Lahssaini, already eager to attack, tried his luck one first time but his attempt only lasted 5 kilometres. Immediately after (km 64), Laurent Zongo (BUR) and Vincent Graczyk (Fra - CEN) gave it a go. Their common adventure only lasted until the second sprint.
The pack starts suffering
A real move started shaping up in three acts with a total of 13 riders including former winners Saidou Rouamba, Abdoul Wahab Sawadogo and Abdelati Saadoune. But 5 kilometres later the heat started having a key effect on a pack that still managed to catch the dangerous front men. Well inspired, Lahssaini (Mar), Verbraeken (Bel) and Egelmeers (Hol) chose that moment of general exhaustion to break away from the pack. At kilometre 100, they could enjoy a 1’15 advantage. With a 2’20 lead with 20 kilometres to go, it seemed obvious that the pack wouldn’t come back on the three courageous riders.
Lahssaini shines
Between the three ambitious of the day, the question concerning the identity of the winner was still open with 10 kilometres to go. Lahssaini not too worried about showing his winning intentions attacked on three occasions. With 7 kilometres to go, Verbraeken was the first to start struggling. After being dropped behind, he eventually caught up with his companions under the red flame but it seamed clear that he wouldn’t be fit enough to win this one. Lahssaini, full of energy was to battle it out with Egelmeert as the sprint was launched with 300m to go. Lahssaini powered his way through to victory. Meanwhile a first upset hit the Burkina Stallions at the end of the stage. National champion Seydou Sanfo, eventully made it to the line with a 19 minute deficit on the winner.
LE MAGAZINE
Little Faso stories
The famous French fable concerning the hare and the turtle can once again be used on the Tour du Faso. While the Cameroon team used to making it on the knick of time for quite a few years had for once organised their arrival in Ouaga with a decent time delay, it was this time the turn of the European sides who alsmot failed to reach Burkina Faso in time. The AF 730 flight due to take off at 16:40 on Wednesday the 24th of October finally released the riders of the Essonne, Centre, Cantal and Alsace teams, as well as the Belgians at 16:00 but on the next day. Meanwhile the travellers had the time to board the Airbus A 340, to remain seated for over two hours before a technical upset forced the plane to stay on the ground, then to wait for an extra two hours to eventually get their luggage back, to visit a good part of the Paris area and finally settle down in a hotel for a very short night, and then to head back to the airport for the real flight.
Christof Marien, the blck cat
Among the riders included in this nightmare, quite a few had already witnessed, back in 2005, the surprise of seeing their plane leave with all their bikes and some luggage still on the ground. But after a decent enquiry, the real black cat of the flight was finally discovered. A Tour du Faso regular, Christof Marien was of course present during the 2005 episode (and that hadn’t prevented him from winning two stages as well as the pink jersey) but he also suffered another upset back in 2001: ‘’I had booked a round trip for Brussels but the compagny went bankrupt during the Tour. I was therefore stuck in Ouaga for eight days before evntually returning to Belgium’’.
After a quick shower, the French riders were able to reach the ‘’carrefour de la Patte d’oie’’ for the team presentation and find out that their African colleagues had managed an even better feat. Three teams from Morocco, Benin and Mali were still missing for the ceremony but had however given good news to the organisers. In the village of Sapone, the Malians were finally on time at the meeting point after a long journey from Bamako. ‘’We left at Thursday at 8:00 by bus to reach final destination at 4:00 during the night . We had problems organising because we were forced to build up a complete team at the last moment’’, explained Adama Bagayoko.
The Moroccan recipe: a 30min siesta
The Moroccans were quite simply condemned to take a flight from Casablanca to Ouagadougou which made them arrive at 3:00 in the morning. Once they had collected their bikes and luggage, they reached their hotel at 5:00 du matin. ‘’The riders haven’t even managed to enjoy a half-hour siesta but there was none for the mechanics who had to take care of the bikes’’, explained their sporting director at the start of the stage. While not being the freshest of riders, Mouhssine Lahsaini still proved to be the keenest to attack and even the most efficiant on the finish line in Leo.