"Cycling is like football in our country. I like Lionel Messi, but I choose Biniam" - Pressures of a continent on the shoulders of Girmay

Few riders if any, have been as well supported at the Tour de France as Biniam Girmay of Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. Alongside the immense support, from the army of fans that have flocked from Eritrea and wider Africa to see their hero, comes with it the pressures of an expectant continent.

"Cycling is in our blood. The first time I rode a bike? I don't know. I was really, really small - aged three. Really small," the 23-year-old, who so far at the Tour de France has come closest to victory on stage 7, finishing 3rd behind eventual winner Jasper Philipsen and Mark Cavendish, tells BBC Sport. "I don't know how big it is for us to win a stage of the Tour de France as an African rider - it would be amazing."

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After Girmay's recent stage win at the Tour de Suisse, he was mobbed by adoring fans and draped in Eritrean flags. A genuine national hero after his historic stage win at the 2022 Giro d'Italia and last year's Gent-Wevelgem success, similar scenes could be expected if Girmay could taste victory in cycling's biggest race.

"Cycling is like football in our country. I like Lionel Messi, but I choose Biniam Girmay," says one Eritrean fan to the BBC before another supporter expands. "It is our culture. We grow every single kid with a bike. Their first gift is a bike - we use it as transport to go to school, go to work… every single person has a bike. If you visit Eritrea you will see it."

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Four-time Tour de France winner and Kenyan-born, Chris Froome knows all about the impact of Girmay on cycling in Africa. "Think about it… if you're a kid growing up in the UK, you wouldn't have to look too far to find a local bike club and have organised training sessions," says Froome. "In most parts of Africa, those clubs don't exist. So, if you're 12 years old, you wouldn't know where to start."

"There's no entry plan to get you into the sport and, even if you do manage to get yourself onto the start line, let's say things go really well, how is that meant to get the attention of a team manager over in Europe?" He questions. "It feels like this uphill battle all the way. So, for these guys who have made it onto the European scene, they will have to have done something remarkable and really eye-opening."

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