Riders of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux enabled Biniam Girmay Hailu to write a new page of cycling history at the end of the tenth stage of the Tour of Italy. In his first Grand Tour, the 22 year old rider from Eritrea triumphed on his Litening C:68X at the end of a 196 kilometer stage between Pescara and Jesi, by defeating Mathieu van der Poel in a bunch sprint.
Rota and Pozzovivo led the peloton under the red flag to launch Girmay. He started his effort with 300 meter to go and resisted to van der Poel, obtaining the eighth success of the team in 2022. Thanks to this historical victory, Girmay is only three points behind Arnaud Démare in the battle for the maglia ciclamino.
Biniam Girmay Hailu:
“We came to this Giro with the aim to win a stage, knowing that if I succeeded, I would enter cycling history. After several top five finishes, I became the first black African to win a Grand Tour stage! I’m so grateful for the support of my teammates, the staff, my family, all people encouraging me! They are there for me every day, this victory belongs to them. My teammates all rode in the front for me. Barnabás Peák, Loïc Vliegen, Aimé De Gendt, Rein Taaramäe, Lorenzo Rota and even our GC riders Jan Hirt and Domenico Pozzovivo gave everything to give me the opportunity to take this win. In the final 600 meter, Domenico shouted that I had to follow him. He launched me perfectly. This victory makes me so happy!”