TORINO – «Bi-ni, Bi-ni, Bi-ni». Corso Galileo Ferraris transforms into the Curva Maratona of the Stadio del Toro which is right next door. It’s a hell of a place for Eritreans who, incredibly, suddenly appear wherever you run. From the South of Spain to the North of Belgium. From Italy to France. They are always there and they are also happily noisy.
The third stage of this Tour de France goes to Biniam Girmay and he even goes there with a margin. The Intermarché-Wanty rider is the author of a sprint of personality. Caught in the lead with the team, dominated and without anyone who was able to join him in the long final straight.
Perfect Sprint
It’s a big party. Journalists, photographers, comrades… everyone attacks him. The Cube they are leaning against a barrier, while the runners hug each other. Girmay puts his face in his hands. He can hardly believe it after the difficult year (and a half) he has been through. In fact, Bini hadn’t been going so fast since the Giro stage that ended with a champagne cork in his eye.
Okay, the recent national title, but some certainties were starting to crumble. It took just 300 meters of great walking to erase everything.
«It was a very hard, physical sprint – says Girmay – my classmates helped a lot. But they did it in the first two days too. They tried to put me in the best possible conditions.
«It was a nervous sprint. In the last few kilometers I had lost my companions and I had to sprint to catch up with them and find them again. Then we were united. They took me out really well (at the entrance to the final straight there were three of them, ed.). I have to thank them so much.
«I knew that there was more wind on the left side and so I kept to the opposite side, very close to the barriers. And there I passed Mads Pedersen».
An African in Turin
Was history made in Turin? When Girmay began following cycling, the winners were Sagan and Cavendish. In Eritrea, you run or play football. However, cycling has a certain specific weight compared to many other neighboring countries.
«A black African winning a stage at the Tour is incredible – says Girmay – We have cycling in our blood. What happened today is formidable. This victory is important for me and for my continent. Africans know the Tour. For Eritrean cycling it is a great moment.
«My dad would watch the Tour after lunch and I would sit with him. He told me that cycling was a very difficult sport. It was 2011. Then came Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot. The real turning point came when Teklehaimanot himself climbed onto the podium of the Tour and wore the polka-dotted jersey. This gave me a big push. But there were still big obstacles to get here. In Africa you have to do a lot of local races and there is not much space to show our potential. You arrive in Europe at 22-23 years old and you find yourself in another world. But now I think of our many young people and I want to tell them that everything is possible.».
The bus cabal
But the emotion is also that of the team manager Jean-François BourlartHe is tall and bulky, a typical “big man from the North”, yet he gets emotional when he starts telling his story.
«For us it’s incredible – says Bourlart – a small team that manages to win here: the dream came true. Bini won the Giro and now also the Tour. It’s something incredible. This is a win for the whole team. The whole team.
“We knew he was strong, that he was always there and that he could do well. But in this difficult period he also received some unpleasant messages. He was attacked. Everyone thought his victory at Gent-Wevelgem was a fluke. We all know he is talented, but also that it is not easy for such a young guy to win important races. It was a hard time for him, for his family.
By the way, the broken bus cabal is spreading on this Tour. Apparently if the big bike goes down the leader wins. This was the case for the yellow jersey of The bard and this was the case for Girmay’s Intermarché-Wanty, which had a small camper for support in Turin.
«It is the victory of passion – continues Bourlart – Tour of Italy he had fallen. Things don’t always go well. We brought the best possible team to support him for the sprints: Gerben Thijssen, Mike Teunissen, Laurenz Rex. I told him to get on Gerben’s wheel. And today everything worked well… Now I’m going to hug Biniam.”
