Biniam Girmay and Louis Meintjes, Africa's hopes at the 2023 Tour de France
Biniam Girmay and Louis Meintjes will ride the 2023 Tour de France. The Eritrean and the South African will be in the same team.
Sport News Africa · Author profile ·
Listen to this story
Audio version in preparation · read aloud by your browser meanwhile
The 2023 Tour de France is almost here. The race runs from 1 to 23 July. On the road, we will finally see Biniam Girmay again. The Eritrean will ride the race for the first time in his career. The 23-year-old will make his debut with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, and he will be their leader for the sprints. The Belgian team themselves announced it this Friday, 23 June.
“Girmay's mission will be to go for the stage win in the sprint. To give ourselves the best possible chance [...], we have been working on the sprint lead-out since the winter”, said Aike Visbeek, the team's head of performance. It is a vote of confidence for the Eritrean, whose first grand tour came in 2022. That was at the Giro, where he made history by winning a stage. Unfortunately he then had to withdraw because…he was hit in the eye by the cork from his celebration champagne. Named African Cyclist of the Year in each of the last three years (2020, 2021 and 2022), he will carry the heavy burden of flying the flag for Africa at the Tour.
Meintjes, the weight of experience
Girmay will not be the only African riding for Intermarché-Circus-Wanty, either. The team's leader for the general classification will be South African Louis Meintjes. He is a Tour de France regular, having already finished in the top 10 three times. The most recent was in 2022, when he produced his best performance in the race.
“With his seventh place last year, he delivered the first top 10 in our history at the Tour de France. He has our full backing to repeat that feat in this edition”, Aike Visbeek said of the South African. Meintjes, African Cyclist of the Year in 2013 and 2017, is an old hand. At 31, his experience could help guide Biniam Girmay.
To make History of the Tour de France.
🇫🇷 Lilian Calmejane
🇵🇹 Rui Costa
🇪🇷 Biniam Girmay
🇿🇦 Louis Meintjes
🇫🇷 Adrien Petit
🇳🇿 Dion Smith
🇳🇱 Mike Teunissen
🇩🇪 Georg Zimmermann🖼 Marie Pirard Illustration pic.twitter.com/ZAKcG9RPAT
— Intermarché-Wanty (@IntermarcheW) June 23, 2023