Biniam Girmay has won the tenth stage in the Giro d’Italia on Tuesday. The Eritrean beat Mathieu van der Poel in the sprint and wrote history. With his victory, 22-year-old Girmay is the first black African to win a stage in a Grand Tour.
In the first stage of this Giro, Girmay was already close to a stage win, but then he had to leave the victory to Van der Poel. On Tuesday he was just a little faster than the Dutchman in the sprint, so the roles were reversed.
Nothing changed in the general classification. Rose jersey carrier Juan Pedro López entered the front group at the same time as his competitors and may also start the stage on Wednesday as classification leader.
A remarkable incident took place on the podium afterwards. Girmay tried to uncork his champagne bottle, but accidentally shot the cork in his own eye. The stage winner is said to have been transported to hospital as a precaution, but that message has not yet been confirmed.
Tuesday’s stage was a tribute to Michele Scarponi. The 2011 Giro winner was born in finish place Jesi. On the way there was an intermediate sprint in Filottrano, the place where Scarponi died five years ago after a training accident and where he is also buried.
The Giro d’Italia will continue on Wednesday with a flat stage over more than 200 kilometers. The riders will start in Santarcangelo di Romagna and finish in Reggio Emilia.
Mathieu van der Poel just came up short to book his second stage win in this Giro.
Mathieu van der Poel just came up short to book his second stage win in this Giro. Photo: Getty Images
Girmay and Van der Poel class apart in thinned peloton
In the hilly ride over almost 196 kilometers it took until the last climb before the course became really interesting. Led by Alpecin-Fenix, the pace was too high for all sprinters to keep up.
27-year-old Van der Poel tried to break away in a thinned out peloton at five kilometers from the finish, but he did not get the space from Domenico Pozzovivo and Emanuel Buchmann, among others. His escape attempt, however, had cost too much strength to get away in the final phase.
As a result, a group of about twenty riders sprinted for the stage victory. Van der Poel and Girmay turned out to be in a class of their own. Girmay took the lead early and had Van der Poel in his wheel, which seemed ideal for overtaking the Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux rider. However, Van der Poel was unable to close the gap and surrendered a few meters before the finish.
Behind Girmay and Van der Poel, Vincenzo Albanese finished third. Wilco Kelderman crossed the finish line in fourth place and Koen Bouwam (sixth) also finished in the top ten.