Eritrea’s Biniam Girmay broke ground Monday as the first-ever Black rider to win a stage at the Tour de France, cycling’s most prestigious competition. He is however Africa’s third cyclist to win a Tour de France stage joining South Africans Robert Hunter (2007) and Daryl Impey (2019).
Girmay, who had placed no better than 101st in the previous two stages of the race, completed the third leg, which spanned 143.4 miles from Piacenza to Turin, Italy, in 5 hours 26 minutes 48 seconds.
The 24-year-old, during a post-race interview, said “It’s for all of Africa, Congrats, I would say. I’m just super happy today.”
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“We must be proud. Now we are really part of the big races. Now it’s our moment. It’s our time,” he added, according to The Washington Post.
Aike Visbeek, performance director for Girmay’s Intermarché Wanty team, remarked, “This is super important. There is a whole continent that has been waiting for this. It’s been done now, and I hope it will open the floodgates for more riders from Africa. He’s an ambassador in every way.”
When Girmay won the Giro d’Italia’s tenth stage in 2022, he made history as the first Black African to win a Grand Tour stage. Still, he was forced to withdraw from that race after he popped a cork on the podium, grazing his eye.
Concerning his latest victory, the trailblazer expressed, “I never dreamed to be part of Tour de France. But now, here, I can’t believe it. To win in Tour de France … for me was unbelievable.”
