Biniam Girmay will participate in Paris-Roubaix for the first time in his career on Sunday 13th of April 2025. The green jersey winner at the last Tour de France, who just turned 25, is preparing to discover his third Monument.
With four participations in Milan-San Remo, the Eritrean rider is preparing to compete for the third time in the Tour of Flanders this Sunday 6th of April, before continuing with Paris-Roubaix.
In 2019, Biniam Girmay discovered the mythical cobblestones of the Hell of the North by participating in the U23 version in the shirt of the UCI World Cycling Centre, finishing 48th in the edition won by Tom Pidcock.
On Thursday 10th and Friday 11th of April, Girmay and his six teammates selected by Aike Visbeek, Bart Wellens, and Franky Van Haesebroucke will carry out a final course recon.
“It is with great pride that I will be at the start of Paris-Roubaix for the first time in my career. Along with the Tour de France and Milano-San Remo, it is the most broadcasted race in Eritrea and the one I dreamed of as a young boy. Six years ago, I participated in the U23 version, and I remember how grueling it was, with the punctures, the crashes, and of course, its cobbled sectors. It was a long road of survival filled with obstacles to reach the finish line. The Hell of the North cannot be compared to any other competition, not even the classics in Flanders. On television, you can’t really grasp what it feels like to ride on the mythical cobbled sectors. I always wanted to be there, it has always been my wish to participate in Paris-Roubaix.”
Although Paris-Roubaix is one of the most iconic one day races in the world, very few Africans have ever taken part. In fact, using ProCyclingStats data, only 20 African riders (male) from just three nations have taken part in the race in the last ten years, with 18 of these being South Africans. Only a sole Rwandan (Joseph Areruya, 2019) and Biniam to come in 2025 can be added to this.
In fact, ten of the 20 are shared equally by Reinardt “The Beast” Janse van Rensburg and Jay Robert Thomson, with countryman Nic Dougall (3 starts) and Ryan Gibbons (2 starts) the next most present.
Earlier, we spoke to Reinardt about the strategy needed, and suffering, that come with this race:
“Paris-Roubaix is one of the toughest races on the calendar! Despite the bike set-ups have become more ergonomic, and with tubeless tyres as well making it a bit easier over the cobbles, it is still a massive challenge. If you can keep a good speed and good rhythm over the cobbles, you can fly over them, you barely feel them in fact. But once you start tiring and you can’t go fast enough over them, you lose all impetus and they are unforgiving! It is impossible to pick up speed again in the cobbles once you have lost it, and then you feel every bump and it is two times, three times harder than when we are going fast. It is really important to keep the speed. With Roubaix a lot of times the real pain only comes after the race. Your hands don’t have any skin on them any more, your arms and your upper back, shoulders and neck are hurting are hurting for several days, so its a race you definitely feel in the body afterwards!”
Let us hope Reini, Jay and now Biniam help inspire a new generation of riders looking forward to hitting the cobbles of the ‘Hell of the North’!
To check out more Paris-Roubaix statistics, results and interesting facts, take a look at the ProCyclingStats stats page HERE
