After five and a half hours of a very boring stage (zero escapes), in Turin a historic day suddenly emerged for cycling that expanded its borders thanks to two brave men. Conquering Gaviria and De Lie Piacenza-Turin, third stage of the Tour de France 2024, the Eritrean Biniam Girmay has become the first native African to conquer the Grande Boucle While Richard Carapaz, who threw himself headlong into the sprint, is the first Ecuadorian to wear the yellow jersey, snatching, in the same time, the symbol of primacy from Pogacar, Evenepoel and Vingegaard.
The big names all close together
Born in Asmara in 2000, Girmay won a stage of the Giro d’Italia in 2022 and the Gand-Wevelgem the same year. Biniam rides for Wanty-Gobert, the third “small” team in a row to win this edition: a resounding slap in the face for the big teams with budgets six or eight times higher. Richard Carapaz, 31, winner of the 2019 Giro d’Italia and reigning Olympic champion in the road race in Tokyo, was the only one of the big four to show interest in the sprint where he was protected by Alberto Bettiol’s wheel.
The Tour now returns to France
The objective was clear: to finish at least two positions ahead of Pogacar, Vingegaard and Evenepoel to earn the symbol of primacy thanks to the best placement, in his case a 14th place. The other three superbigs, blocked by a fall in the last five kilometers (with naturalized timekeeping, with sprinters like Philipsen left behind) arrived comfortably on the white line. Tuesday on the Galibier, with the Tour returning to France from Pinerolo, everything will be up for grabs.
