International sports

Girmay first black African to win Tour de France stage

Biniam Girmay made history as the first black African to win a Tour de France stage as Mark Cavendish was held up by a late crash on the run into Turin.

In a reduced sprint finish, Eritrea’s Girmay powered to victory, with Colombia’s Fernando Gaviria and Belgium’s Arnaud de Lie in second and third.

All the pre-race talk had been around whether Cavendish could claim a record 35th stage win, but a crash just over 2km from the line on the 230.8km route from Piacenza left many riders – including the Manxman – out of position.

Meanwhile, Richard Carapaz became the first Ecuadorian to wear the yellow jersey based on accumulated finishing positions over the first three stages, with Tadej Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard also on the same time as the EF Education-EasyPost rider in the general classification.

At the finish an emotional Girmay, 24 – who won his first Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia in 2022 – outlined the importance of his achievement.

“I would say thanks to God for everything, for giving me all the strength and support,” Girmay said.

“Since I started cycling I was never dreaming to be part of the Tour de France but now I can’t believe it. I want to say thank you to my family, my wife, Eritrea and Africa.

“We must be proud. Now we are part of the big races and have success. Now is our moment, now is our time. This for all Africa”

Cavendish and his Astana-Qazaqstan team-mates were on the right side of the road as riders jostled for position in the closing stages of the race and the 39-year-old said he was just happy to emerge unscathed, having crashed out of the race 12 months ago on stage eight.

“Something was going to happen,” Cavendish said. “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.”

On Tuesday, the race heads into the Alps as the Tour takes in the mighty Col du Galibier on the mountainous 139.6km route from Pinerolo to Valloire.

Stage three results

1. Biniam Girmay (Eri/Intermarche-Wanty) 5hrs 26mins 48secs

2. Fernando Gaviria (Col/Movistar) Same time

3. Arnaud de Lie (Bel/Lotto Dstny) ”

4. Mads Pedersen (Den/Lidl-Trek) ”

5. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/Jayco-AlUla) ”

6. Phil Bauhaus (Ger/Bahrain Victorious) ”

7. Fabio Jakobsen (Ned/DSM-firmenich-PostNL) ”

8. Davide Ballerini (ITA/Astana-Qazaqstan) ”

9. Sam Bennett (Ire/Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale) ”

10. Bryan Coquard (Fra/Cofidis) ”

General classification after stage three

1. Richard Carapaz (Ecu/EF Education-EasyPost) 15hrs 20mins 18secs

2. Tadej Pogacar (Slo/UAE Team Emirates) Same time

3. Remco Evenepoel (Bel/Soudal-Quick-Step) ”

4. Jonas Vingegaard (Den/Visma-Lease a Bike) ”

5. Romain Bardet (Fra/DSM-firmenich PostNL) +6secs

6. Pello Bilbao (Spa/Bahrain Victorious) +21secs

7. Guillaume Martin (Fra/Cofidis) Same time

8. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos Grenadiers) ”

9. Jai Hindley (Aus/Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) ”

10. Aleksandr Vlasov (Rus/Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe) ”

 

Source: bbc.com

Ogyem Solomon

Solomon Ogyem – Media Entrepreneur | Journalist | Brand Ambassador Solomon Ogyem is a dynamic Ghanaian journalist and media entrepreneur currently based in South Africa. With a solid foundation in journalism, Solomon is a graduate of the OTEC School of Journalism and Communication Studies in Ghana and Oxbridge Academy in South Africa. He began his career as a reporter at OTEC 102.9 MHz in Kumasi, where he honed his skills in news reporting, community storytelling, and radio broadcasting. His passion for storytelling and dedication to the media industry led him to establish Press MltiMedia Company in South Africa—a growing platform committed to authentic African narratives and multimedia journalism. Solomon is the founder and owner of Thepressradio.com, a news portal focused on delivering credible, timely, and engaging stories across Ghana and Africa. He also owns Press Global Tickets, a service-driven venture in the travel and logistics space, providing reliable ticketing services. He previously owned two notable websites—Ghanaweb.mobi and ShowbizAfrica.net—both of which contributed to entertainment and socio-political discussions within Ghana’s digital space. With a diverse background in media, digital journalism, and business, Solomon Ogyem is dedicated to telling impactful African stories, empowering youth through media, and building cross-continental media partnerships.

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