It’s been a season of firsts for Biniam Girmay, and the Eritrean rider added a stage victory in the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday in his first Grand Tour to raise the profile of African cycling.
Eritrea's Girmay takes Giro leg in win for African cycling
Eritrea's Biniam Girmay celebrates as he crosses the finish line of the 10th stage of the Giro D'Italia cycling race from Pescara to Jesi, Italy
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Massimo Paolone/LaPresse
The 22-year-old Girmay outsprinted none other than Mathieu van der Poel - one of the top riders in the sport - to win the 10th stage of the Giro.
Spanish rider Juan Pedro Lopez of the Trek-Segafredo team maintained his 12-second lead over Joao Almeida in the overall standings as the three-week race approached the halfway stage.
Romain Bardet is 14 seconds back.
A professional since 2020, he has eight victories to his name, including three in the current year alone. At the end of March, he became the first African to win a classic (Gent-Wevelgem).
Despite this win, Binian also suffered an injury from an unforeseen accident that occurred during the ceremony. Girmay was injured in the eye by a bottle cap he had just shaken and had to go to the hospital for treatment.