Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux) has won today's stage 10 at the Giro d'Italia, becoming the first black African rider to win a stage in the Italian Grand Tour's 105-year history.
He is also the first black African cyclist to win a stage in any of cycling's Grand Tours - including the Tour de France and La Vuelta.
The Eritrean rider is already a hero back home after winning silver at the U23 Worlds last year, as well as Gent Wevelgem earlier this year, and his status will now rocket. He was best today in the sprint from the reduced peloton after 196km of racing from Pescara to Jesi.
The lumpy run-in to the stage finish split the field to pieces and when repeated attacks from the front group were all cancelled, the 30-rider group went to the line for a sprint.
Advertisement
Girmay and Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin Fenix) were by far the fastest in the final dash to the line, with Girmay simply overpowering his Dutch rival. When Van der Poel realised in the sprint the win was gone, he eased back and gave the thumbs up sign to Girmay just ahead him.
Related News
Van de Poel had burnt some of his matches with a late attack, when he went clear but was quickly closed down. However, while he put in a very good fight in the final sprint, Girmay got the jump on him and was simply too fast for the Dutchman on an historic day for cycling.
More to come.
