These wins come after a powerful begin to his 2024 season, which included two top-three stage finishes on the Santos Tour Down Below and a 3rd place stage end throughout stage three of this yr’s Giro d’Italia.
Girmay, 24, is the primary Black African rider to put on the coveted Inexperienced Jersey within the Tour de France, and he is preventing to maintain maintain of it because the Tour enters its second week of racing. Listed below are 13 issues it is best to find out about this residing legend.
Girmay hails from Eritrea, a rustic in jap Africa that borders the Purple Sea and has a inhabitants of roughly 6.34 million. He grew up in Asmara, the nation’s capital metropolis.
Girmay started biking because of his cousin, Meron Teshome, a former skilled bicycle owner.
Girmay’s dad is a biking fan and as a baby, Girmay used to observe the Tour de France every July on TV along with his father, who would clarify to Girmay how arduous the Tour is and that it’s the “primary sport on this planet.”
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
Girmay joined the World Biking Centre as a junior elite bicycle owner and have become the triple junior biking champion of Africa by profitable the street race, particular person time trial and staff time trial in 2018.
Girmay’s first skilled win was in 2019 with the Eritrea Nationwide Staff, the place he received stage three of the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo stage race.
In 2021, Girmay turned the primary Black African rider to complete on the rostrum on the UCI Street World Championships when he completed second within the U23 street race.
In 2021, Girmay turned the primary Black African rider to complete on the rostrum on the UCI Street World Championships when he completed second within the U23 street race.
(Picture credit score: Getty Photos)
In 2022, Girmay turned the primary Black African rider to win a stage on the Giro d’Italia when he received stage 10, keeping off Mathieu van der Pol in a dash end. (As a consequence of an unlucky podium accident, he needed to abandon the race the subsequent day.)
Girmay is married and has one daughter who’s three. His spouse and daughter at the moment reside in Eritrea.
