Girmay triumphs in Jesi: he is the first black African to win a stage in the Giro. Then he ends up in the hospital

Biniam Girmay is the first black African (the first ever was the South African van Heerden in 1979) to win a stage at Tour of Italy. He does it in Jesi: in the arrival of the tenth stage. The event is objectively historic coming after 104 years of racing, yet it does not represent a surprise: Girmay in fact won the Gand-Wevelgem poche settimane fa, and a classic in Belgium is never won by chance. In short, a good champion, who behaved as such in the race: he tactically managed his teammates (in the thirty remaining in front, three were from the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Materiaux), he raced as a seasoned rider, even more than one protagonist too. ‘he young but much more successful than world cycling like Mathieu van der Poel.

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Girmay has always kept an eye on him, he did not break down when the grandson of art (always good to remember that his grandfather was called Raymond Poulidor …) tried in every way to make a difference by spending precious energy and making a mistake. running tactics. Then in a breathtaking sprint he beat him. In short, class is not water: both of the winner and of van derl Poethere that at a certain point, in a mixture of surrender and admiration, he raised his thumb towards his opponent while the sprint was still in progress. The Italian Vincenzo Albanese (Eolo-Kometa) completes the podium, but Italy does not laugh: still dry of victories after ten stages. The pink jersey still remains on the shoulders of the Spanish Juan Pedro Lopez (Trek-Segafredo).

“It is a historic day, truly extraordinary for me, it is the first victory in a great stage race – says Girmay -: in the final I had to slow down a bit, then I went to full speed and checked the bike with great attention. the last 400 meters were endless for me after such a hard day.
From the beginning many attacked, in the end we were almost two “.

Girmay wins on a path suited to its characteristics. Because if it is true that the first part is a sort of transfer stage, the second is very interesting with the many walls of the Marche region. The three who go on the run don’t do it so much to show off: Naesen, Bais and De Marchi push hard for a long time. Bais is now a well-known rider of this Giro, having done almost more km in the breakaway than in the group. It is he who takes the lead on the symbolically most touching finish line of the week: the sprint with bonuses of Filottrano between two wings of the crowd, with flags and pink balloons. All in the memory of Michele Scarponi.

The stage is interesting but also treacherous. Carapaz, for example, ends up on the ground on the grass and does not report any consequences, Sivakov leaves a little bit of his right thigh on the asphalt. Mathieu van der Poel gets away with a mechanical drawback: the ease with which he returns is a paradox, it suggests the great condition and at the same time costs him the defeat. The Dutchman feels in great shape, with almost all the sprinters detached he is too sure of himself. He snaps and redeems, but behind him there is always Girmay. And in the end one wing embraces them, the other the thumb. Right so.