Biniam Girmay of Eritrea made history by becoming the first black African to win a stage at the Tour de France, seizing victory in a dramatic finish as Mark Cavendish was impeded by a late crash near Turin.
In a reduced sprint finish, Girmay surged to triumph, with Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria and Belgium’s Arnaud de Lie taking second and third places, respectively.
The pre-race buzz centered around whether Cavendish could secure a record 35th stage win. However, a crash just over 2 kilometers from the finish line on the 230.8-kilometer route from Piacenza disrupted many riders, including the Manxman, affecting their positions.
Meanwhile, Richard Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to don the yellow jersey, based on accumulated finishing positions over the initial three stages. He shares the same time in the general classification with Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel, and Jonas Vingegaard.
An emotional Girmay, 24, who previously won his first Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia in 2022, emphasized the significance of his achievement.
“I would say thanks to God for everything, for giving me all the strength and support,” Girmay expressed. “Since I started cycling, I never dreamed of being part of the Tour de France, but now I can’t believe it. I want to thank my family, my wife, Eritrea, and Africa. We must be proud. Now we are part of the big races and have success. This is our moment, this is our time. This is for all Africa.”
Cavendish and his Astana-Qazaqstan teammates were on the right side of the road during the race’s closing stages. Reflecting on the crash, the 39-year-old said he was relieved to emerge unscathed after having crashed out of the race 12 months ago on stage eight.
“Something was going to happen,” Cavendish noted. “You could feel it, but you didn’t know where or when. I heard it happening ahead, so you’re on the brakes, you skid, and you wait for somebody to hit you from behind. Thankfully, we were OK, and I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt. You don’t want anybody to crash, but I don’t think anyone was seriously hurt, so that’s very good news. We didn’t sprint, but we’re safe, and that’s the main thing.”
Looking ahead, the race moves into the Alps on Tuesday, featuring the formidable Col du Galibier on a challenging 139.6-kilometer route from Pinerolo to Valloire.
