Tour de France - Eritrean Girmay wins Tour stage - Carapaz in yellow
Biniam Girmay wrote cycling history. The 24-year-old became the first professional from Eritrea to win a stage of the Tour de France. Girmay stormed nearly unstoppably to victory in Turin on the third day of the Italian Grand Tour. After the 230.8 flat kilometers between Piacenza and the northern metropolis of Turin, the sprinter from the Intermarche team surprised everyone with a win in a hectic sprint finish over Colombian Fernando Gaviria and Belgian Arnaud de Lie. It was the first win for the Intermarche team.
The Belgian sprint king Jasper Philipsen came away empty-handed, finishing outside the top ten and missing his seventh Tour success. His main helper Mathieu van der Poel, the current world champion, unfortunately suffered a flat tire just six kilometers from the finish and could not significantly help his teammate. German sprinter Phil Bauhaus finished sixth. Routine rider Mark Cavendish also failed to reach his coveted sole Etappensieg record.
In the general classification, it remains tight. The yellow jersey of the leader was taken over by Richard Carapaz from superstar Tadej Pogacar. The Ecuadorian benefited from the fact that he was ahead of Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel on the sprint stage. A total of four riders are currently tied in the general classification, including title defender Jonas Vingegaard and Belgian youngster Remco Evenepoel. In determining the overall leader, the rider with the best average placings comes out on top.
Aldag relaxed about Roglic's time loss
Currently, Primoz Roglic is not among the top four. As expected, the shooting star of the German top team Red Bull made no major comeback to join the ranks of the other top riders. The day before, the gap to teammate Pogacar, Vingegaard, and Evenepoel had grown to 21 seconds. However, the team remained calm. "We lost a little time, but we didn't lose the Tour. And that's already something," said team boss Rolf Aldag.
After two energy-sapping days in Italy at high temperatures, it had cooled down at the beginning of the week. In the peloton, fewer cooling packs in the neck and ice vests were visible. Mark Cavendish must have had to forcefully cool down. On the first day, he dropped out after the start in Florence at the first climb and managed to reach the finish only with great effort and a 39-minute deficit to French stage winner Romain Bardet.
Cavendish with mechanical issue
On the third Tour day, Cavendish, who absolutely wants to earn his 35th Etappensieg and thus claim the record from legend Eddy Merckx, suffered another small setback. 89 kilometers before the finish, he had a mechanical problem and fell back. However, he returned to the peloton shortly thereafter, which remained mostly closed throughout the race.
The Frenchman Fabien Grellier launched a significant attack 66 kilometers before the finish, grabbed the mountain points at the Côte de Sommariva Perno, and was caught back just 28 kilometers before the end of the stage. After that, all teams focused on the mass sprint.
On Tuesday, there could be bigger changes in the general classification among the favorites Pogacar and Vingegaard. The pros will climb the 2642-meter-high Tour-classic Col du Galibier. A total of 139.6 kilometers of the first racing kilometers in France, after the start in Italy in Pinerolo, lead to Valloire.
- The International Tour stage in Italy saw historical moments with Biniam Girmay becoming the first Eritrean to win a stage in the UCI WorldTour, specifically the Tour de France.
- The victory was secured in Turin, where Girmay from the Intermarche team outpaced Colombian Fernando Gaviria and Belgian Arnaud de Lie in a thrilling sprint finish.
- Girmay's Intermarche team celebrated their first Tour de France stage victory, a significant achievement for the team.
- Jasper Philipsen, the Belgian sprint king, missed out on a stage victory, finishing outside the top ten, and therefore missing his seventh Tour success.
- The lack of support from teammate Mathieu van der Poel, who suffered a flat tire six kilometers from the finish, made it challenging for Philipsen to secure a top spot.
- German sprinter Phil Bauhaus managed to finish sixth in the high-intensity race, despite the tough competition.
- The overall ranking in the Tour de France remains tight, with Richard Carapaz currently leading after overtaking the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar on the flat sprint stage.
- A total of four riders, including title defender Jonas Vingegaard and Belgian youngster Remco Evenepoel, are tied in the overall ranking, and the leader is determined by the best average placings.
- Primoz Roglic, the shooting star of the Red Bull team, is currently not among the top four, but his team remains optimistic, as Rolf Aldag noted, "We lost a little time, but we didn't lose the Tour."
- Cavendish endured a challenging start in the Italian Grand Tour, dropping out attractively after the first climb and managing to reach the finish only with remarkable effort and a 39-minute deficit to French stage winner Romain Bardet.
- On the third stage, Cavendish faced another minor setback with a mechanical problem that set him back 89 kilometers before the finish, but he managed to rejoin the peloton shortly afterward.
- The upcoming stages of the Tour de France promise further excitement, especially as the favorites Pogacar and Vingegaard will encounter steep challenges like the Col du Galibier, which could lead to significant changes in the overall ranking in France.
