Biniam Girmay will never forget his first victory in the Giro.
The 22-year-old Eritrean became the first black African to win a stage in a grand tour on Tuesday.
A few minutes after his success, he sent the cork from a magnum of prosecco that he had just opened on the podium into his left eye… He was taken to the hospital for treatment.
PHOTO MASSIMO PAOLONE, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Biniam Girmay
“Starting the Giro, I knew we had the opportunity to win and get good results, he had time to declare on TV. This success is also that of my team, my family and everyone. Every day, we make history. So I’m really grateful and happy with what I’ve achieved. »
The nature of this 10and stage – 100 km all flat with a final breakage – made its outcome intriguing.
In the group of about thirty riders at the end of the race, there were only the favorites left in the general and a handful of punchers who had hung on the final ascent, the summit of which was eight kilometers from the arrival.
Among them, Mathieu Van der Poel, the ogre in person, the pedal killer, pink jersey for three days at the start of the Tour of Italy. The Dutchman from Alpecin-Fenix had himself sent a cork in the face during the celebrations.
Abandoned by all his teammates at the foot of the last bump, Van der Poel found himself 5 km from the line drawn in Jesi. Obviously, he already feared Girmay, surrounded for his part by three teammates from Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert.
The Eritrean caused a sensation during the Flandrian Classics by winning at Ghent-Wevelgem, making him the first African to win a one-day race at WorldTour level.
In his first Giro, Girmay finished second in the opening stage in Budapest, dropping the pink jersey to Van der Poel after an uphill sprint. The explosive cyclist trained at the World Cycling Center followed up with four top-five results.
Read a portrait of Biniam Girmay
Tuesday, the table was set for the 10and stage, 196 km between Pescara and Jesi, much too hard for sprinters like Caleb Ewan (dropped at 75 km), Mark Cavendish (151and+ 18 min) and even the sharp Arnaud Démare (50and+ 1 min 1 sec).
After the failed breakaway attempts of Van der Poel, Simon Yates and Richard Carapaz, Girmay received a call from the foot of Domenico Pozzovivo, his little teammate more used to climbing than to preparing sprints. It was finally Van der Poel who took the wheel of the Italian.
At the 350m panel, Girmay however did not hesitate to place his start. Reacting with a time delay, Van der Poel gave up a bike and a half before coming back almost level with the Eritrean. 10m from the wire, the Dutchman gave up and raised his right thumb in the direction of Girmay at the end of this high-flying sprint.
Obviously overjoyed, the winner received congratulations from everyone, including Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek), the other likeable figure in this 105and Giro. The 24-year-old Spaniard retained his pink leader’s jersey for the sixth day in a row.
After a brilliant performance on the brutal Blockhaus on Sunday, Lopez still holds a slim priority of 12 seconds over Portugal’s Joao Almeida (UAE), 4and in 2020 at only 21 years old.
Romain Bardet (+1 4 s), the Olympic champion Caparaz (+ 15 s), titled in 2019, and the Australian Jai Hindley (+ 20 s), winner at the Blockhaus, follow very close. Guillaume Martin (Cofidis) and Mikel Landa (Bahrain) are also within 30 seconds.
Supported by a solid Ineos squad, Carapaz seems the strongest among the contenders. No doubt he will benefit from the work of Lopez’s Trek in the next week.
The 11and Wednesday’s stage is for sprinters. Revenge for Ewan, beaten by a hair by Démare in the sixth stage? Girmay, he will decide if his eye allows him to take the start in the morning.
With Agence France-Presse
