Former HTS Middelburg pupil and elite cyclist, Gustav Basson, is wearing the yellow jersey in the 37th Tour du Faso, currently taking place in Burkina Faso.

Basson took over the yellow jersey from Tom Wijfje, who was forced to withdraw from the race following an accident.

On Tuesday, November 3, Soumaïla Ilboudo (Burkina Faso) trailed the former Middelburg resident by 41 seconds, while Paul Daumont (Burkina Faso) was one minute and five seconds behind the leader.

The Tour du Faso is a multi-day road cycling stage race held in Burkina Faso from October 30 to November 8, covering a total distance of 1 398km across 10 stages.

The race began and will conclude in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Saturnin Yaméogo from Burkina Faso won the fifth stage (from Bobo-Dioulasso to Pâ, 131.3km).

The sixth stage is being contested today, November 4, and Basson will be hoping to still be wearing the yellow jersey this afternoon.

General classification explained

The yellow jersey (maillot jaune) in cycling represents the leader of the General Classification (GC), the rider who has accumulated the lowest total elapsed time across all stages of a multi-stage race.

Local rider shines at Carnival City

In other cycling news, Jan Montshioa, the man with ‘dynamite in his legs’, finished 15th overall and fourth in his age group at the Eastside race, which started and ended at Carnival City, on November 1. He completed the 103km distance in a time of 02:21:23.