“In Eritrea, they literally say that I have to win every day" - Biniam Girmay ready to make his people proud in 2024

Tuesday, 27 February 2024 at 16:30

After bursting onto the scene in 2022, winning Gent Wevelgem and taking a historic stage victory at the Giro d'Italia, Biniam Girmay had a somewhat quieter 2023. Now though, the Eritrean icon is ready to return to his best form in the coming months.

“Mentally, I feel completely ready for 2024, which may not have been the case last year,” the 23-year-old says in quotes collected by Velo. “After Gent-Wevelgem, I had so many media requests, interviews, this and that. Everyone knows who you are, and there is pressure from all sides. At times I was relaxed about it, but at other times, like after the crash in Flanders, I felt a bit empty. It’s not a big deal, but you learn from it. Mentally, I feel more ready now, but still, there’s no losing, only learning. Both I myself and the team did exactly that in 2023.”

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His year started brightly too, winning the Surf Coast Classic in Australia after taking four top-10 finishes at the Tour Down Under. At Opening Weekend however, things became more complicated with placings of 55 and 122 at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and Kuurne - Bruxelles - Kuurne, far from where he would have wanted. “With the new cycling, anything can happen,” Girmay says of the weekend. “The races can break up quickly or they can go to the line … It wasn’t the best day, but I feel good on the bike.”

A genuine trailblazer, Girmay is also one of the best supported riders in the peloton. “I love those fans. Without fans, it’s nothing. They give me a lot of strength,” he says of his army of supporters. That massive love and adoration brings with it added pressure though.

“If I finish second now, they are not happy. That’s great, but it also brings pressure. It comes from all sides," he explains. “In Eritrea, they literally say that I have to win every day. Even when there’s a mountain stage, they want me to win, always. It only adds to my morale, but sometimes I have to laugh when I read things like that.”