Biniyam Ghirmay caused a resounding surprise in the third stage in La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2019. The only 18-year old Eritrean defeated all the European professionals in the bunch sprint after a difficult final in the streets of Franceville. He outwitted Youcef Reguigui (Algerian selection) and classification leader Niccolò Bonifazio (Direct Energy).
Various attack attempts
In the initial phase of the stage, two riders chose the good course. Defending champion Joseph Areruya (Delko-Marseille Provence) rode away in the shirt of the national selection of Rwanda and got Henok Mulubrhan - the number thirteen of the standings - from Eritrea. After thirty kilometers the two had cycled together for a bonus of two minutes, but that did not make the peloton happy. Five kilometers later, the pack had already closed the gap with the duo.
In this 98-kilometer 'short' trip, not soon afterwards five new riders decided to try their luck. Abdallah Benyoucef (national selection Algeria), Temesgen Buru (national selection Ethiopia), Metkol Eyob (national selection Eritrea), Jayde Julius (ProTouch) and Clovis Kamzong (national selection Cameroon) joined forces. Direct Energie maintained the pace on behalf of leader Bonifazo in the peloton. The five never received more than a one-and-a-half-minute bonus.
Surprise in the final
Kamzong was eventually the rider who stayed the longest out of the clutches of the peloton. At five kilometers before the finish, however, he was seized, after which the peloton prepared for a climb of about three kilometers. In the end, nobody succeeded to get away from it, after which a mass sprint followed in Franceville. After a photo finish with Reguigui, the 18-year-old Ghirmay turned out to be the fastest of the suit. André Greipel again disappointed with a fifth place.
What do we know about Ghirmay?
In the past year, Ghirmay drove an impressive season for the juniors. He was thirteenth at the World Championships in Innsbruck and finished second at Rüebliland, one of the toughest races for juniors on the calendar. In addition, the Eritrean treated the Belgian super-talent Remco Evenepoel in the first stage of Aubel-Thimister-Stavelot on a rare defeat.
