𝙃𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔. Intermarché-Wanty has won on the 3 Grand Tours 🤩 🇮🇹 Giro d'Italia 🥇 Taco van der Hoorn 🥇 Biniam Girmay 🥇 Jan Hirt 🇫🇷 Tour de France 🥇 Biniam Girmay 🇪🇸 La Vuelta 🥇 Rein Taaramäe 🥇 Louis Meintjes 🥇 Rui Costa
Despite Biniam Girmay's victory, Intermarché-Wanty manager worries about future of African cycling: "African juniors need to ride more races and be able to compete in Europe for longer periods"
CyclingTuesday, 02 July 2024 at 13:00
Biniam Girmay is currently making history in cycling, becoming the first Black African rider win a stage at the Giro d'Italia and, this Monday, replicating the feat at the Tour de France. The Intermarché - Wanty rider is setting a benchmark to his peers but team manager Aike Visbeek continues to be worried that structural changes aren't yet happening to improve the situation for African cyclists.
Rwanda will host the 2025 World Championships in Kigali which may make a big change, but Visbeek points out the actual obstacle that needs to be tackled. "If you create a mountainous course during that World Championship, it's of no use to you. That doesn't inspire anyone there, because after 150 kilometres there is no black African in the race anymore," Visbeek told Wielerflits. "Because they did not have the chance to ride in Europe as juniors".
Whilst a few riders, Girmay being the main figure, make it to the World Tour and display their quality; only a few riders get the chance to ride amongst the pros, whilst most do not get the experience and key skills that come with it throughout the year. “What needs to happen very quickly now is that the African juniors need to ride more races and be able to compete in Europe for longer periods. They need to learn their skillset and way of racing, especially the steering skills," he argues.
The presence of the World Cycling Center already provides opportunities to a few riders but understandably, there isn't the same amount of teams and riders getting to race all year long in a high-quality calendar which allows them to develop as riders. “If these things do not change, the distance will only increase, unless a large multinational emerges and pumps endless amounts of money into a project," Visbeek warns. The Belgian team's development squad currently has two Eritrean riders including Girmay's brother, the team seems to benefit from the potential of riders emerging from lesser known nations.
Read also
claps 0visitors 356
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- It's the BBC. Who cares outside of little Britain.leodis22-12-2024
- Crawl back under your stone.leodis22-12-2024
- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024