Eritrean cyclist Biniam Girmay, who became the first African winner of the Belgian classic Gent-Wevelgem in March, made history again on the roads of Jesi, Italy, by conquering the cycling dream of a whole continent with a Stage 10 win in this year’s Giro d’Italia. “It is not just history. It is the manner in which he took that sprint,” said GCN sports commentator Orla Chennaoui, after Girmay, from Intermarché-Wanty Gobert, outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel (Alpecin-Fenix) from a reduced bunch in the finish of today’s stage. The 22-year-old is the first Black African rider to win a stage in a Grand Tour.

“All the team was working all day, including the GC riders, and they did a great job,” Girmay said in the post-race interview. “We knew when we started, we knew we had possibilities to win a stage. I am thankful and happy that I was able to pay back the team for a win.”.

Girmay is a breath of fresh air in the European-dominated peloton; not only is he quick, but he can also read a race and improvise in the moments that matter most. In the opening stage of the Giro, in Budapest, Hungary, Girmay duked it out with van der Poel in a fiery uphill sprint. While van der Poel took the stage victory and leader’s jersey (Maglia Rosa), Girmay took second and secured the best young rider jersey (Maglia Blanca) for the next day.

“I want to win more classic monuments, but the Grand Tours are always in my dream, it’s all African cyclists’ dream to win in a Grand Tour,” Girmay said at a press conference before the start of the Giro. “Black riders have never won a Grand Tour stage. For us, getting this will be the best moment ever.”

Girmay, Merhawi Kudus (EF Education-EasyPost), and Natnael Tesfatsion (Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli) make up the trio of Eritreans at this year’s Giro. For how small Eritrea is (a little more than 6 million people), this is a considerable number of riders. By comparison, the United States is about 84 times bigger than the African country, and it is also represented by three riders in this edition of the Giro.

A Black African cyclist winning a stage of the most prestigious Italian stage race is historically meaningful for a few reasons. Not only is it the first time a Black African wins a stage of the Giro (against MvdP to say the least,) but the fact that Girmay is from Eritrea—a former Italian colony— is noteworthy on its own.

Girmay may have a short track record, but with five top-five finishes in the first half of the Giro, and this historic win, it is safe to say that the future is filled with promise for the Eritrean. Unfortunately, there will be no more success in the 2022 Giro, with the Eritrean superstar not taking the start line on Stage 11 after being hospitalised after his win, a victim of a celebratory champagne cork to the eye on the podium.