Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay has become the first black African to win a Tour de France stage, securing victory on stage three of the 2024 Tour.
Girmay finished ahead of Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria and Belgium’s Arnaud De Lie. His victory came on the third and the longest day of the race that spanned over 200 kilometres between Piacenza and Turin. He completed the race in 5 hours, 26 minutes, and 48 seconds.
Struggling to control his emotions at the end of the race, Biniam Girmay said; “I never dreamed to be part of Tour de France. But now, here, I can’t believe it. To win in Tour de France , second year… for me was unbelievable.”
“I just want to say thank you to my family, my wife, all Eritreans and the Africans. We must be proud. Now we are really part of the big races. It’s for all Africans. Congrats, I would say. I’m just super happy today. Now it’s our moment. It’s our time.”
Indeed, it is a big moment for Eritrea, his native country and the African continent. A man of many firsts in his cycling career, he is becoming a legend quickly. This is another iconic milestone in his career as he became the first black African to win a stage in a Grand Tour, doing so at the Giro D’Italia in 2022.
He has now replicated this feat at the oldest and the most prestigious of the Grand Tours, The Tour de France. He also became the first African to win a classic cycle race doing so at the Belgian Gent-Wevelgem in 2022. All that remains for him to complete the Grand Tour set is to win a stage at the Spanish Vuelta. This might happen sooner than we all think!
Biniam Girmay joins a prestigious list containing South Africans Robbie Hunter and Daryl Impey who were the first Africans to win a Tour de France stage in 2007 and 2019 respectively. Way to go Girmay!
