Tour de France: Eritrean Girmay wins Stage 3 as Carapaz takes race lead from Pogacar

Sprint victor becomes first black African to win a stage at the Tour

Ecuador's Richard Carapaz wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey on the podium after Stage 3 of the Tour de France between Piacenza and Turin on Monday, July 1, 2024. AP

Intermarche-Wanty's Biniam Girmay celebrates on the podium after winning Stage 3. Reuters

Ecuador's Richard Carapaz kisses the yellow jersey. AP

EF Education-EasyPost's Richard Carapaz celebrates on the podium after capturing the yellow jersey from UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar. Reuters

Stage winner Eritrea's Biniam Girmay celebrates. AP

Biniam Girmay celebrates winning Stage 3. AP

Eritrea's Biniam Girmay celebrates winning Stage 3 ahead of Belgium's Arnaud de Lie, left, and Colombia's Fernado Gavira, centre right. AP

UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar rides in the peloton during Stage 3. Reuters

TotalEnergies team's French rider Fabien Grellier makes a breakaway. AFP

TotalEnergies' Fabien Grellier is reeled in by the peloton during Stage 3. Reuters

The peloton in action during Stage 3. Reuters

The peloton on the Barbaresco ascent during Stage 3. AFP

UAE Team Emirates' Tadej Pogacar, in the overall leader's yellow jersey, sets off in the peloton during Stage 3 of the Tour de France. AP

Eritrean Binian Girmay sprinted to victory in Stage 3 of the Tour de France on Monday as Richard Carapaz took the overall race lead from Tadej Pogacar in Turin.

Girmay became the first black African rider to win a stage of the Tour.

Ecuador's Carapaz took the yellow jersey from overnight leader Pogacar of UAE Team Emirates. The pair are level on time. Remco Evenepoel and Jonas Vingegaard are third and fourth.

Intermarche rider Girmay, 24, who gave the Belgian team its first success on the Tour, is the third African to win on the Grande Boucle after South Africans Daryl Impey and Rob Hunter.

Multiple tour winner Chris Froome was born in Kenya but competed for Britain.

Girmay won ahead of the Colombian Fernando Gaviria and Belgian Arnaud De Lie in a chaotic finale marked by a late fall as the riders hit speeds of around 65kph in the dash to the line.

The crash, in which the big favourite for the sprint Jasper Philipsen was involved, created a break in the peloton.

Two-time race winner Pogacar, gunning for a historic Giro-Tour double, did not fall but was delayed.

After two sweltering stages, the skies were shrouded grey entering the northern Italian industrial city.

Girmay is more than just a sprinter, and was aided in his victory by the absence of stage favourite Philipsen.

He signalled his coming of age in 2022 when he became the first African to win a one-day classic at Gent-Wevelgem, aged 21.

It was his second Grand Tour stage win after the Giro d'Italia in 2022.

An emotional Girmay said after his victory: "Ever since I started cycling, I’ve always been dreaming to be part of the Tour de France – but now, I can’t believe it, to win the Tour de France in my second year in a big bunch sprint, for me it is unbelievable.

"I just want to thank my family, my wife, all the Eritreans, and Africans, we must be proud, now we are really part of the big races, now it’s our moment, our time. I just want to say congrats to all my whole team, because we didn’t have a victory yet [in the Tour de France]. But now is our moment, I’m super-happy. This win is for all Africans, congrats, I’m just super happy today.”

Carapaz said after taking the yellow jersey from Pogacar: "Yes, it's a surprise for us. We thought it would be difficult, but today I felt good and think it was worth the risk. I had to play for it and had to try to go for it. The team has done incredible work until the end. I'm really happy."

Pogacar, of course, might take the jersey back tomorrow, when the Tour climbs the Galibier en route to Valloire. "Tomorrow will be a big day," said Carapaz. "It will be complicated. I'm going to try and give everything. I'm going to try and enjoy every single moment in the yellow jersey."