The cyclist Biniam Girmay stands out from the competition because he is wearing a very special outfit. The green jersey has always been in vogue among participants in the Tour de France because it still identifies the best sprinter in the field. And it is worth a special mention in this case because the 111th edition of the Tour will be the first time that a black African could bring this garment to the finish line “en vert” – in green – the 24-year-old Biniam “Bini” Girmay.
Recently, few cyclists have managed to step out of the shadow of the European Football Championship and into the world press. Girmay is one of these few. He comes from the Eritrean capital Asmara and he particularly excels in the mass sprints of the Tour de France. Girmay has won three of the 15 stages so far in this way – this Tuesday he could triumph again on the last classic flat section and extend his lead in the sprint rankings. But it wouldn’t be the biggest, hardest and meanest cycling race in the world if there weren’t other eventualities.
For example: mountains from stage 17, with climbs and descents – which are rather unpleasant for sprinters like Girmay. But what can be done, he follows his father’s advice to follow a special principle when sprinting, as the man from the Belgian team Intermarché-Wanty explained after his first Tour stage victory in Turin: the principle of “close your eyes and get through it”.
The award ceremony at the Giro d’Italia two years ago was literally eye-catching
On Italian terrain, the son only half-heeded the advice two years ago. At the 2022 Giro d’Italia, he won the tenth stage in the sprint, but this – his greatest success to date – was severely compromised. At the awards ceremony, the cork of a champagne bottle whizzed into Girmay’s left eye and he had to give up afterwards. If only he had listened to his father’s advice at the awards ceremony.
The good news for him: His son will always be assured of his latest successes; his stage win in Turin will be noted in Tour history as the first for a black African. He is also the first representative of his continent to don the green Tour jersey. And he wears it with nonchalance.
Between the ceremonies and crowds, Girmay seems relaxed, almost as if he is enjoying this wild ride, during which he has been in the saddle for more than 65 hours – and still has the final week ahead of him. He wants to get through, in green, this 111th Tour de France. In the yellow classification he is only in 111th place – so all eyes on green.
He still lives in Asmara, the capital of his home country
Africans are about as common in cycling as they are on the professional golf tour, and there are two South Africans in the Tour de France – and Girmay, who still lives in Asmara in Eritrea. He is preparing for the season on the increasingly asphalted roads there before heading to Europe for the spring classics and tours.
Now, with his eye long since healed, Girmay has given an insight into his complicated path to top-level European sport. His father was important; with his help he achieved all kinds of success in Eritrea, where cycle races are still often held on sand and gravel tracks. As a teenager, he was taken in by the World Cycling Center of the International Cycling Federation in Aigle, Switzerland. “That meant I was able to get to know the culture in Europe as a youngster, and learn English and the terminology of cycling,” he says. This makes him an exception. Because unlike in athletics, for example, cyclist scouting in Africa is still hardly en vogue among European professional teams, and he talks about that too. There is plenty of African talent, says Girmay. But to find it, you have to look for it.