A victory for history. Winner this Sunday of Ghent-Wevelgem, Eritrean Biniam Girmay became the first rider from a sub-Saharan African country to win a cycling classic.
Biniam Girmay, 21, was present in a group of four riders (Laporte, Van Gestel, Stuyven) who broke away 25 kilometers from the finish. And the silver medalist in the hopeful category at the Worlds last year surprised everyone to win the sprint ahead of Frenchman Christophe Laporte.
“It’s just amazing, I couldn’t expect so much!” , he rejoiced. “I suffered a bit on the cobbles, it was really not comfortable. Afterwards I felt better and better and I regained places. In the sprint, I was dealing with strong riders but I had confidence”, added Girmay who signed the most important victory of a rider from sub-Saharan Africa in cycling.
And this success has confirmed the great promises seen in recent weeks. Turned professional in 2020, he joined the WorldTour level last spring and asserted himself at the end of the season by winning the Classic Grand Besançon before doing it again at the end of January in Mallorca.
This prestigious victory, which calls for others, could tip him into a new dimension. “It will change a lot of things for my future and that of the African riders,” said Biniam Girmay, expected at the start of the Tour of Italy in just over a month (May 6-29).