At the end of the longest stage of the 2024 Tour de France Biniam Girmay (Intermarché – Wanty) took the victory by beating Fernando Gaviria (Movistar Team) and Arnaud De Lie (Lotto-dstny) in the sprint.
Girmay’s sprint in Turin, in addition to being of a high technical level, was historic because it gave Eritrea its first success at the Grande Boucle.
Girmay is also the first black African to win a stage at the Tour. Before him, South Africans Robert Hunter (2007) and Daryl Impey (2019) had achieved this.
The numbers of Girmay’s sprint in Turin
The Tour de France race center provided us with some interesting numbers on the stage and especially on Girmay’s sprint in Turin.
The Eritrean of Intermarché – Wanty has travelled the last kilometer at 63.3 km/hreaching a top speed of 68.5 km/h in the sprint.
Pedersen reached a slightly higher top speed (68.7 km/h), but was overtaken 50 metres from the finish line.
The numbers of the stage: first slowly, then really really fast
After two stages run full gas, the third stage from Piacenza to Turin was interpreted “the old fashioned way”. The group started very slowly, then changed gear decisively in the final.
The first 10 km were covered at 31.2 km/h, the last 10 km at 59.7 km/h with a speed difference of 91%.
The pace was rather slow for the first 80 km of the race, covered at an average speed of 36.4 km/h. In the last 50 km, Instead, the runners traveled to 55,2 km/h.
The stage ultimately ended at 42.4 km/h, a relatively low average by today’s standards.
Girmay’s words
“This is a historic day, I am very happy for myself, for my team Intermarché-Wanty, but also for my country and my continent.
Since I was a child, participating in the Tour de France was a dream. Winning the Tour de France is incredible, especially in such a competitive sprint. I would like to thank my team, especially Jean-François Bourlart who dreamed of this victory in the Tour, my family, all my compatriots and everyone who supported me. We can be proud of this victory, we have shown that we can participate in the big races and win”.
Girmay’s bike
Girmay’s victory in Turin is also historic for his team and his technical sponsor Cube, as it is the first victory at the Tour for both.
Girmay ran on a Cube Litening C:68X Aeroequipped with Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset. The wheels are the new Newmen Streem Vonoa Sprint with Streem Aero valves (retractable for aerodynamics). The tires are Continental GP5000 TT.
Among the curiosities we would like to point out the helmet Uvex with camouflage livery. This is a prototype that will soon be on the market…
For the complete Tour rankings: letour.fr/en/rankings
Intermarché opening photo – Wanty / PhotoNews
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