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| Thursday, October 30 2003 |
| Stage 2 - Kaya > Ziniaré - 70 km |
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| Kermer curbs the fire of the Burkina Faso riders… |
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 At the end of the second stage, won by the German rider Kay Kermer, no observer this morning would have this time around ventured to mention the supremacy of the Marco Polo team. Indeed, in spite of two victories in two days, the yellow jersey and the pink jersey being worn by Maarten Tjallingii, the Dutch team seem to have lost their shine, incapable of mastering the race or of organising the pursuit of the breakaways in spite of the fact that the yellow jersey holder was in danger. Very solid and concentrated, Tjallingi certainly fought back, forcing the pack to ride in single file behind him, but only nine seconds were needed for the Burkina Faso rider Gweswende Sawadogo, 7th yesterday at 1’24’’ and 4th today, to rob him of the precious golden jersey. With three Burkina Faso riders among the first four stage winners and seven Africans in the Top 10, it’s
becoming obvious that the riders of the Continent are on an equal footing with their European counterparts. When will the yellow jersey be won by a Burkina Faso rider ? |
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 A fast and nervous start to the stage
The start of the second stage of the 17th Tour du Faso, Kaya – Ziniaré (70 km), was given this morning at 7h32 to a pack made up of 81 riders (no non starters). The short distance of the race explains the frantic pace of the first kilometres, marked by the incessant and in vain attacks of the Burkina Faso riders. But this tactic wasn’t long in paying off…
The raging battle for the pink jersey
The pack remained grouped together until the first intermediary sprint in Boussouma, where Kermer overtook G. Cuylits and S. Sanfo. At the second sprint in Korsimoro, the strong men started the battle for the pink jersey of the intermediary sprints: M. Tjallingii and L. Syne fought it out, with the valiant P. Bouba in their wake.
The breakaway of the day begins on the outskirts of Raguitenga
Shortly after the refreshment point in Raguitenga, the race heated up: ten men broke away from the others (K. Kermer, S. Sanfo, K. Kabore, G. Sawadogo, K. Pattyn, S. Teguimaha, K . Nossi, M. Bilgo, E. Ahouandjinou and K. Rutger). The members of the Marco Polo team were struggling, which explains the fact that the yellow jersey holder in person pursued the breakaways trying to reduce a gap that quickly rose to more than one minute.
 Victory for Kermer, ahead of three Burkina Faso riders
In spite of this wild pursuit, Tjallingii loses 1’32’’ to the ten breakaways. In the sprint, the German K. Kermer is the fastest: he triumphs ahead of S. Sanfo, K. Kabore and G. Sawadogo, who wins second place in the general classification and the green jersey in the points classification. The Dutch rider Tjallingii conserves his leadership, but sees his rivals moving dangerously close: Gweswende Sawadogo at 9’’, Thierry David at 10’’ and Mahamadi Sawadogo, the better known of the two brothers, at 14’’. Everyone holds their breath until tomorrow: will the yellow jersey at last be worn by a Burkina Faso rider ?
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The Face of the Faso
Everyone knows that the Tour du Faso is a vector of jubilation, celebration and general good humour, in short it is in itself a condensed version of the African joie de vivre; it must not however eclipse the reality, at times very hard, of a country faced with real social and political problems.
 First on the list is education, a key sector in which significant advances have been observed this year. Hence in 2003 primary school is free for all children, and notably for girls, whose percentage in full time education does not exceed 15%. To put this situation to rights, the principle of « positive discrimination » has been set up, stipulating that only girls have the right to receive a State grant. To increase the percentage of young girls in full time education to 60%, such is the current objective clearly outlined by the Burkina Faso government, in partnership with UNICEF.
In the domain of agriculture also, things are changing. The recent Cancun Conference was here seen as a failure, because, as judiciously pointed out by Alexandre le Grand Rouamba, a journalist for the Pays, « we produce and others fix the sale price for the cotton; it's iniquitous! ». In the same way, the slow privatisation process of Sofitex, a prosperous company specialised in the production of cotton, is a ceaseless worry. Burkina Faso would like to open up to the free world and play the market game, on condition that it may integrate into it slowly and smoothly. But all is not bad: the Saaga (rain) operation is proof of this. A technology imported from Morocco, by projecting a silver chloride based product, allows the clouds to burst open and to increase hydrometry. This year once again this technology has proved to be successful and has brought more rain than the local weather would otherwise have done.
 Training, economy, health, these are the three pillars of a responsible government policy. This is why the fight against AIDS and polio has become a national priority. Polio has not completely disappeared in this country and to prevent new cases from appearing, the Head of State's wife, Mme Campaore, organises a campaign in favour of the National Vaccination Day, in order to eliminate this terrible paralysing illness… Aids is the other curse that touches Burkina, with 6,5% of the population contaminated by the virus. Sponsor of the 17th Tour du Faso, the National Committee for the Fight Against Aids (CNLS-IST), presided over by the President of Burkina Faso, has obtained a financial aid of 8 thousand million CFA francs from the World Fund for the Fight Against Aids, which will allow the victims of the illness, for 10.000 CFA francs, to benefit from specialised treatment.
Unfortunately, fate sometimes has a hand in things and complicates the task… Last March, the big Ouaga market burnt down, to such an extent that the tradesmen are now scattered around the town and the consumers find it difficult to localise their habitual suppliers. A reconstruction plan has been launched, which should lead to the opening, in 2005 on the site of the former Nonsin hippodrome, of a new space, modern and well ventilated, devoted to commerce and similar transactions. Proof that nothing is irremediable and that in Burkina Faso, there is an endless well of energy and courage…
 All of this takes us well away from the world of sport, although it is also one of the country's current affairs. After the Tour du Faso, the country of upright men will greet the Dakar, for a stage on the 12th of January in Bobo Dioulasso. Moreover, the organisers of the Tour caught a glimpse of Patrick Zaniroli, the man who maps out the route of the biggest rally-raid in the world… Two sporting worlds so very different from one another: on the one hand, that of vehicles sponsored by rich car manufacturers and which attract, without doubt, the crowds in Bobo; on the other hand, the slaves of the outback who work to give free rein as soon as possible to their passion, road cycling. A paradox that Alexandre le Grand comments upon wisely: « when I write a good article, my personal happiness is worth millions of CFA francs! The unquantifiable is superior to the quantifiable. This is why dreams will always be worth more than money ».
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TJALLINGII Maarten |
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SAWADOGO Gweswende |
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| Stage |
• Individual time
• Individual points
• Team
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| Overall |
• Individual time
• Individual points
• Team
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| 1 |
Wednesday, October 29 |
111,5 km |
| Ouagadougou - Kaya |
| 2 |
Thursday, October 30 |
70 km |
| Kaya - Ziniaré |
| 3 |
Friday, October 31 |
136 km |
| Kokologo - Boromo |
| 4 |
Saturday, November 1 |
74 km |
| Boromo - Houndé |
| 5 |
Sunday, November 2 |
133 km |
| Orodara - Bobo-Dioulasso |
| R |
Monday, November 3 |
| Ouagadougou |
| 6 |
Tuesday, November 4 |
103,5 km |
| Ouagadougou - Yako |
| 7 |
Wednesday, November 5 |
80 km |
| Yako - Ouahigouya |
| 8 |
Thursday, November 6 |
128,5 km |
| Ouahigouya - Boussé |
| 9 |
Friday, November 7 |
149 km |
| Koulbila - Tenkodogo |
| 10 |
Saturday, November 8 |
139,5 km |
| Tenkodogo - Fada N'Gourma |
| 11 |
Sunday, November 9 |
123 km |
| Kombissiri - Ouagadougou |
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