Eritrean cyclist Yohana Dawit finished ninth place at the first stage of the Green Mountain Race in Vermont, USA.

Her remarkable race today marks a significant milestone in her career  – as the first Eritrean female cyclist competing for an American cycling team (Amy D. Foundation race team).

The a 24-year old Eritrean is competing as a guest rider for Amy D. Foundation race team and has been since mid July in intensive training in the US.

“Yohana gets 9th on her first race in the US stunning”, Yohana’s home club (Team Africa Rising), the first all-African women’s UCI team, said.

The Amy D. race team, named after American rider Amy Alison Dombroski, who tragically passed while training abroad in Belgium in 2013, is a development racing program that offers women the chance to compete at elite level.

The cycling program creates opportunities for women by organizing teams with open rosters that may vary from event-to-event. It tries to pair up-and-coming athletes, like Dawitt, with seasoned veterans.

The Green Mountain Stage Race is a four day stage race in the heart of the Green Mountains of Vermont and runs from Friday September 2 to Monday September 5.