Tour de France: Historic win for Girmay, podium place for Belgian champion
The Eritrean rider Biniam Girmay of the Belgian team Intermarché-Wanty won the third stage of the Tour de France, becoming the first black African winner at the Tour. In a sprint in Turin, he beat the young Belgian champion Arnaud De Lie, who finished third for a podium place in his first Tour.
In an emotional post-race interview, Girmay said his historic victory was "for all Africa”. “We must be proud, now we are really part of the big races,” he said. “It's our moment, it's our time.” He previously made history by taking a stage at the Giro d'Italia and winning the Belgian Gent-Wevelgem classic, both in 2022.
Lotto Dstny's De Lie, who became Belgian champion just a week ago and is making his debut at the Tour, sprinted to the third place. “I am very happy with this, I didn’t expect to get a podium place in my first bunch sprint in the Tour,” he said.
"It was a flat sprint and that is definitely not my speciality. Maybe I also waited just a bit too long to start my sprint. I feel very good and maybe I can do even better in one of the next sprints. The Tour is still long."
"I didn’t expect to get a podium place in my first bunch sprint in the Tour"
The pre-stage favourite, Belgium's Jasper Philipsen, last year’s winner of the green jersey for best sprinter, was involved in a big crash with 2.3km to go. However, the Alpecin-Deceuninck rider was not seriously injured and can continue his quest for a new green jersey.
In the general classification, Ecuadorian Richard Carapaz of EF Education-Easy Post took the leader’s yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar. Belgian Remco Evenepoel of Soudal Quick-Step follows in third place, in the same time, and holds on to the white jersey as best young rider.
Tomorrow, the peloton leaves Italy and heads into the French Alps for a tough mountain stage, in which the riders have to conquer the mythical Col du Galibier, a climb of 23km with an average gradient of 5.1 per cent.
Eritrea's Biniam Girmay celebrates winning the third stage of the Tour de France © PHOTO MARCO ALPOZZI/LAPRESSE
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