"I hope to participate in the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France" - Biniam Girmay on 2023 objectives
Cycling
Biniam Girmay has had a breakthrough season this year and in 2023 he will be aiming even higher. A bigger stint in the cobbled classics and a debut at the Tour de France are on the table for the Eritrean, who is currently recovering from a long season on the road.
"It is something very special. Not only for me, but for my country and African cycling," Girmay said in an interview with Ciclismo Internacional. “For my country, the Giro stage was more important, as it is a much better known race in Eritrea. But, for me and for the team, Gent-Wevelgem was much more beautiful as it was my first big victory."
Girmay hopes to indeed have the influence he is having in cycling, and to use it for good, specifically in developing cycling in Eastern Africa and less developed cycling regions. "I hope so. Not only do I want to inspire African children, I hope to convince teams to add African cyclists to their squads, we have a lot of talent," he continued.
With very little experience or background in the Belgian classics, Girmay surprised to ride into a 5th place at this year's E3 Saxo Bank Classic, riding alongside some of the best classics riders in the world. He had hinted at great results, but as he won the Gent-Wevelgem classic days after, the cycling world was astounded by it's new unexpected talent. Girmay is only 22 years old, but has also added a stage win at the Giro d'Italia to his palmarès only a month later.
In 2023, he hopes to improve further on his results: “I hope to participate in the Tour of Flanders and the Tour de France, it would be a dream come true. After my discovery of the Flemish classics, my goal is to better prepare them by training on the [1-week] tours. I need to adapt better to the cold and the rain, I'm not used to racing in those circumstances. In the time trial I am improving, but I still need to get used to it more," he said.
Girmay is for now a sprinter and classics rider, he has shown tremendous climbing skills in the punchy ascents and has became a very versatile rider. “Yes, clearly it will be harder. It is good to see that my respect in the peloton has grown, but the bad thing is that they will be watching me more," he concluded, referring to his expectations on the ease of taking wins in the upcoming season.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- dude, Lemond never even was in the same race as Armstrong. He throws all these aspersions on other American riders who might usurp his throne as the greatest ever American racer. He doesn't say a single thing about (foreign) dopers who he actually raced against. Biggest douchebag move ever. I used to revere that guy, now I despise him. His actions are so weird.fatsupermodel02-11-2026
- This is just stupid, You do what you are good at not what you are weak at. He has no results to speak of when he participated. Even Froome, Conatdor had very little. With Pogi there he wont win none of the classics. he is already 30+ with a few years left at the top. It takes years to get good at classics. Is that really worth the effort???abstractengineer02-11-2026
- Sure, little fella.awp02-11-2026
- You'll be the ongoing joke of 2027 with anything you post here!frieders302-11-2026
- Awwww your inside information must be from PogiFanGirl. You two daughters of different mothers?frieders302-11-2026
- Hey PogIFanGirl...wipe that cream from your lips! You're ever loving drooling and whatever you have for Tadej has your brain fried!frieders302-11-2026
- Why should he 'let it go' ! Because you said so? Anytime LA Doper is called out is a win win !frieders302-11-2026
- Geez LeMond...let it go. You're a has been, albeit a former great one. But this is all water under the bridge and just undermines your legacy further.Mshark01-11-2026
- 'The Slovenian has collected four Tour de France titles' ... '[Kieran Wood's] ... reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis'. i would say that is pretty inaccurate accurate coverage, kieran wood ... too bad that AI's knowledge often lags several months behind ... but proof reading is certainly part of accurate coverage, isn't it? but fortunately does Kieran Wood place 'strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.' i would say the fifth tdf title is pretty new (and even verified) information, so feel free to update this article.Ketterechts01-11-2026
- You are wrong, they are already working on his new tt position. And yes, Trump does love you 😂👍🏼awp01-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment