Moroccan cyclist Mouhcine Kouraji was crowned the winner of the 35th Tour International du Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou on Sunday, marking Morocco's sixth victory in this international competition. Kouraji received the yellow jersey from Burkina Faso's transitional president, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, who presided over the official prize-giving ceremony at the end of the 10th and final stage of this year's Tour. Kouraji, who won both the first and fifth stages, held on to the yellow jersey from the start of the race. His compatriot, Driss Alouani, winner of the eighth stage, earned the title of best young rider. In the overall team classification, Morocco, champions of this tour in 2002, 2007, 2009, 2015, and 2017, claimed first place ahead of Russia. The national team included Mouhcine Kouraji, Driss Alouani, Adil Arbaoui, Ibrahim Sabbahi, El Houçaine Sabbahi, and Mehdi Arbaoui, led by national coach Mouhcine Lahssaini, the 2015 Tour winner. In addition to Morocco and Burkina Faso, other participating countries included Belgium, Russia, the Netherlands, Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Nigeria. Cyclists in the 35th Tour du Faso covered a total of 1,193.8 km over 10 stages, with the shortest stage being Stage 5 (85.5 km) and the longest, Stage 9 (145.8 km).
