"It's nice to see different colours from different countries and different continents" - Biniam Girmay proud to spearhead new era of global cycling

At the Tour de France this summer, there were plenty of memorable and history making moments. Arguably none will have a wide reaching and long lasting impact on the sport as Biniam Girmay becoming the first black stage winner in the Grand Tour's storied history.

According to the man himself, the three stage victories and eventual Green Jersey win from the 2024 Tour de France are a sign of the ever increasing globality of the professional cycling peloton. "That's something nice for cycling now," the 24-year-old Eritrean explains in conversation with FloBikes YouTube channel. "It's nice to see different colours from different countries and different continents. It makes it a more colourful cycling."

Given his renown and the fact that Girmay represents so many people every time he competes, the African icon does have to deal with some pressures not many of his rivals do. "It's not really a responsibility, it's just pressure. For me, I love to ride my bike and I believe if I enjoy it, then for sure, I will be able to achieve my goals," assesses the Intermarché - Wanty leader. "If I miss something then yeah, the people will be disappointed, but firstly I just try to enjoy myself as much as I can and try to give 100%. Always."

"If your are doing something great, people will always just expect more, me also," Girmay concludes, setting out his goals for the coming season and a likely return to the Tour de France. "I know what my potential is and next year I can expect maybe four stages (laughs ed,). I'll just try to do better next year but that still is not easy. Because I heard from a lot of my teammates they already do a lot of Tours but they never won one stage. So I know how hard it can be."