Biniam Girmay made history on Monday by becoming the first black African to win a Tour de France stage.
The victory came after a late crash created chaos during the race from Piacenza to Turin.
In the final sprint, Eritrea’s Girmay raced ahead to claim victory, followed by Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria and Belgium’s Arnaud de Lie.
Mark Cavendish was looking for a record 35th stage win, but that was ruined by a crash about 2km from the finish.
Richard Carapaz also made history as the first Ecuadorian to wear the yellow jersey, leading the general classification based on finishing positions over the initial three stages.
Other top contenders, including Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard, share the same overall time as Carapaz.
After his victory, a visibly emotional Girmay, who previously won a Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia in 2022, said he was grateful to God for giving him strength and support.
“After I started cycling, I never dreamt to be part of the Tour de France, but now I can believe it,” he said.
“I want to say thank you to my family, my wife, Eritrea and Africa. We must be proud. Now we are part of the big races and have success. Now is our moment; now is our time. This is for all of Africa.”
For the next stage, the Tour heads into the Alps, going through the tough Col du Galibier on a mountainous 139.6km route from Pinerolo to Valloire.
Only two other African riders, both white – Robbie Hunter and Daryl Impey of South Africa – had previously won stages on the Tour.
Compiled by Staff Writer
Pictured above: Biniam Girmay.
Source: Biniam Girmay/X
