Veni, vidi, Bini!

Biniam Girmay wins his third stage in the Tour de France. Who would have thought this at the start of the Tour de France? The young Eritrean from Intermarche-Wanty-Gobert has not had it easy since his victory in Gent-Wevelgem. There was a lot of pressure, and this was something Girmay was not entirely accustomed to. Since this Tour, he has overcome his demons, and the (old) Biniam Girmay is completely back.

Remco Evenepoel

As a junior, Girmay was one of the few riders who could beat Remco Evenepoel among the juniors. His talent was already evident then, and it was a complete surprise to us because cycling was not typically associated with a rider from the African continent.

Coincidence

How a career can change due to coincidences. During the spring of 2022, Girmay participated in the spring classics in Flanders for the first time. His talent was immediately visible during the E3 Harelbeke; he stayed with the better riders for a long time and finished in an impressive fifth place. After the E3, he was supposed to return to Eritrea, but his team leader Hilaire Vanderschuren thought otherwise. He persuaded Girmay to stay two days longer and start in Gent-Wevelgem, with the well-known outcome, of course. Girmay sprinted to victory after a strong race, becoming the first African rider to win a classic and a role model for African cycling.

Spring 2024

During this year's spring classics, things didn't go smoothly for Girmay either. He had a serious crash during Dwars door Vlaanderen and saw his spring campaign slip away. He started again but understandably could not reach his level.

Giro 2024

The Giro is perhaps more important than the Tour de France in Eritrea because Eritrea is a former Italian colony, hence the importance of the Giro d’Italia. In 2023, he managed to win a stage, leaving behind the current world champion, Mathieu Van der Poel. This year's Giro was a big disappointment; after two heavy crashes in a descent with barely five minutes between them, it was enough for the Eritrean, and he withdrew.

Tour 2024

Biniam Girmay is the fastest sprinter in this Tour, which no one saw coming. When talking about sprinters in the Tour, names like Jasper Philipsen, Dylan Groenewegen, Fabio Jakobsen, and Mark Cavendish immediately came up, but few people thought of Girmay. Undoubtedly, Girmay knew he was in top form, but even he is exceeding his own expectations. Girmay seems to be on his way to the green jersey, which would be a milestone for cycling!