If you follow modern road racing, you’ve heard the name Biniam Girmay—and not by accident. In a sport that loves tradition, he’s writing new history at full sprint. In 2024 he didn’t just win stages at the Tour de France; he pulled on the green jersey in Paris, becoming the first African rider to take the points classification. That moment didn’t come out of nowhere—it’s the product of years of grit, smart race craft, and a team built around his speed.
Who is Biniam Girmay and why does his rise matter?
Biniam Girmay Hailu was born on April 2, 2000, in Asmara, Eritrea. He races for Intermarché–Wanty, where he’s listed as a sprinter with a long-term dream of winning Milan–San Remo—a clue to his fast-finishing style and versatility on rolling terrain. His trajectory from Eritrea to the WorldTour carries huge cultural weight: every win resonates across a continent hungry for representation at cycling’s top table.
Before the Tour fireworks, Girmay had already broken barriers. In 2022 he became the first African winner of a major one-day Classic at Gent-Wevelgem. Weeks later he won Giro d’Italia Stage 10, the first Grand Tour stage victory by a Black African rider—then famously had to abandon after a podium cork struck his eye. The results showed two things: raw speed and ice-cold race sense under pressure.
Image Credit: BBC
How did Biniam Girmay win green at the Tour de France?
Winning green isn’t just about top speed—it’s about consistency: sprints, intermediates, surviving mountains, and never switching off. In 2024, Girmay won three Tour stages (3, 8, and 12), establishing himself as the sprint boss of that edition. He first made history in Turin (Stage 3), then doubled up and, by Stage 12, had turned the points race into a personal project. Rolling into Nice/Paris with the jersey confirmed a season-long masterclass in positioning and resilience.
Intermediates mattered too. His team protected him through crosswinds and rolling days so he could harvest points and defend the jersey in the Alps and Pyrenees. The day-by-day green-jersey tracker from the 2024 race shows just how firmly he took hold of the classification after Stage 5—and didn’t let go.
What makes Biniam Girmay’s sprinting different?
Two traits stand out. First, timing: he rarely panics, even when boxed in. Second, range: he can survive tough, lumpy classics that sap pure sprinters, then still kick at the end. That mix is how he beat world-class fields at Gent-Wevelgem and across the 2024 Tour. It’s also why many see him as a realistic contender for San Remo someday—long, attritional, and often decided by a perfectly measured sprint.
His career win ledger backs it up: from La Tropicale Amissa Bongo early in his career to WorldTour stages and ProSeries one-day races, he’s stacked victories across race types. The pattern is clear: give him a clean run-in or even a messy one—and he finds daylight.
Image Credit: BBC
Where does Biniam Girmay race next, and what’s his ceiling?
With Intermarché–Wanty, Girmay has space to lead Grand Tours and key classics. The team’s 2025 season started bumpy overall, but his status as the marquee sprinter is undimmed. He even spoke recently about the Rwanda 2025 World Championships course: proud of Africa hosting, candid about how the high-altitude, climbing-heavy route could blunt opportunities for many African riders. That honesty underscores his bigger mission—winning races while pushing the sport forward on the continent.
How did Biniam Girmay become a touchstone for African cycling?
Representation matters. Girmay’s Tour wins and green jersey didn’t just fill headlines—they created proof that talent from African programs can not only reach the WorldTour but dominate it. His milestones—first African to win a Classic, first Black African to win a Grand Tour stage, first African to take the Tour’s points race—are now reference points for a new wave. If you’re building a roster or a development pipeline, that changes the conversation.
FAQs about Biniam Girmay
1. Is Biniam Girmay the first African to win a Tour de France stage?
Yes—when he won Stage 3 in Turin in 2024, he became the first Black African rider to win a Tour stage. He added two more that same Tour, then sealed the green jersey—another first for an African rider.
2. What team does Biniam Girmay ride for?
He rides for Intermarché–Wanty (UCI WorldTeam). The team backs his sprint ambitions and selective classics goals, with his long-term dream publicly aligned with Milan–San Remo.
3. What are Biniam Girmay’s biggest wins outside the Tour?
The headline is Gent-Wevelgem 2022, a monument-adjacent Classic that announced him as a world-class finisher. Add the Giro d’Italia Stage 10 (2022), multiple WorldTour/ProSeries wins, and national titles—together they show versatility beyond flat drag races.
4. Will Biniam Girmay contend at the 2025 Worlds in Rwanda?
He’s supportive of Africa hosting but noted the course’s altitude and steep ramps favor elite climbers more than sprinters. Whether he races in a protected role may depend on form and team tactics closer to September.
So… what’s next for Biniam Girmay?
If the 2024 Tour taught us anything, it’s this: Biniam Girmay can control a three-week points race while still winning big sprints. The next layer is stacking Classics, eyeing San Remo, and shaping Intermarché–Wanty’s strategy around his peak days. He’s already shifted the sport’s center of gravity—now he’s chasing the kind of palmarès that cements legacies.
It’s exciting to think how the next few seasons might unfold, especially with rising talents and key figures like Nathan Van Hooydonck helping shape the peloton’s dynamics and team tactics in ways that open up new opportunities for sprinters like Girmay. Expect more wins, more green-jersey battles, and more doors opening for riders who see themselves in his story. If you’re scouting the next defining star of sprinting, start here—and don’t look away when the road tilts or the wind howls. That’s often when Girmay looks most dangerous.
