There was a lot of racing this past week, but only one story. Intermarche-Wanty-Goubert’s Biniam Girmay made history by sprinting to victory after 250km of Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday. Significant in so many ways, not least that it was one of the most positive timelines after a race we’ve seen in a long time. It’s an extra-special Tweets of the Week!
Glorious Girmay
You gotta love guys in cars shouting! I think we were all shouting at the end of Gent-Wevelgem, that sprint!
RETWEET if you witnessed that historic sprint.#GentWevelgem #RideForAntoine pic.twitter.com/uRWqyVA9fF
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) March 27, 2022
It was the way that Girmay won the race – with power, guts, panache – that made it even more special.
Love, love, love that that gutsy jump from behind paid off!
— Racejunkie (@racejunkieblog) March 27, 2022
'I did not expect this!'
Biniam Girmay reacts after 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆-𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 Gent-Wevelgem win pic.twitter.com/FobubzQLRJ
— Eurosport (@eurosport) March 27, 2022
Some great Gruber insta galleries here … make sure you click through the whole series. Great photos as ever.
Biniam Girmay makes history. Incredible.
He celebrates his 22nd birthday next week – he's not much older than Eddie Merckx was when he first won #GWEmen.
I don't know the last rider to win on their debut, but it must be a loooong time ago.
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) March 27, 2022
This is not out of context, this is just perfect. pic.twitter.com/G5A05LdXUd
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) March 27, 2022
I don’t care what team you’re on, this is so great for African cycling, cycling, sport and the world in general. Congratulations @GrmayeBiniam https://t.co/0jxvR0tW5Q
— Lauretta Hanson (@L_Hanson94) March 27, 2022
@GrmayeBiniam Congratulations amazing win, the whole of the cycling world were cheering you on
— mavis Evans (@MaveEvans) March 27, 2022
I have never known cycling fans so united over a win. That is everything ❤️ #GWE22
— Issie 💙 (@IssieAtch) March 27, 2022
Congratulations @GrmayeBiniam and team on a phenomenal victory.
A momentous day for African cycling.
Enjoy the celebrations! https://t.co/CzcXTKwoT9
— Team Qhubeka (@TeamQhubeka_) March 27, 2022
This quote from Xylon Van Eyck really says it all and still gives me goosebumps.
“This win is significant because there are so many bike riders watching this who will see a rider like them at the top of the sport, and from today they’ll believe that they can do it,” says Xylon Van Eyck.https://t.co/1yLgmi7l5v
— VeloNews (@velonews) March 28, 2022
Celebrations!
Girmay possesses panache beyond measurement. #GentWevelgem
— Felix Schönbach (@Felixschoenbach) March 27, 2022
Sensational by Girmay. Eritrea has a Classics winner and cycling has taken one of the biggest steps towards being truly international. Incredible images.
— Brian Nygaard (@nygaardbn) March 27, 2022
For anyone wondering how far Girmay could go? 12th at MSR, 5th at E3 … can’t wait to see what he can do in the Giro!
Biniam Girmay's 1-day spring race campaign:
1 – Trofeo Alcudia
7 – Drome Classic
10 – Milano-Torino
12 – Milano-Sanremo
21 – Minerva Classic Brugge-De Panne
5 – E3 Saxo Bank Classic
1 – Gent-WevelgemAnd a bunch of other good results. #GWE22
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) March 27, 2022
Biniam Girmay is younger than Rik Van Looy, Bernard Hinault, Francesco Moser, Sean Kelly, Tom Boonen or Peter Sagan at the moment of their Gent-Wevelgem win.
— CafeRoubaix (@CafeRoubaix) March 27, 2022
So this happened on Friday!
If this is what happens when ‘inexperienced on cobbles’, next spring is going to be wild!
Performance Manager Aike Visbeek:
"What @GrmayeBiniam🇪🇷 did was extraordinary. We did not expect such a young rider to perform like this in his first Flemish classic, against the best in the world"
Read more ➡️ https://t.co/JAUeOOXp6t pic.twitter.com/VPRPY4m613
— Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert (@IntermarcheWG) March 25, 2022
Girmay makes light of cobbles inexperience with assured E3 Classic display https://t.co/uZvvhFiq0Y pic.twitter.com/vWVYKb5kNw
— The Cycle Collective (@cyclecollective) March 25, 2022
#E3SaxoBankClassic 🇧🇪 – Race Highlights
🍺 Long breakaway fight
🍺 Jumbo team attack on Taaienberg
🍺 Ineos chasing with strong Narvaez
🍺 Wout van Aert attacks on Paterberg
🍺 40 km Trofeo Baracchi with Laporte
🍺 Late attack Küng for place 3
🍺 Biniam Ghirmay 5th at age of 21 pic.twitter.com/zrM1vamZgM— Domestique (@Domestique___) March 26, 2022
Click through … click through …