Girmay seemed to be following Van der Poel, Van Aert, and Pedersen, but the fact that he is riding in the World Championships is not for the fun of it

For a long time, it was uncertain whether Girmay would travel to Rwanda at all. Like so many sprint and classics specialists, his name was initially marked with a ‘no’. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of men such as Mathieu van der Poel, Wout van Aert, and Mads Pedersen, who all saw no chance for themselves on a grueling climbing course in Rwanda.

The fact that Girmay is here this week is mainly due to his desire to be in Africa. “It is an honor and a pleasure to be in Rwanda. This is a country that loves sports, with a passion for cycling. You feel welcome here, and it is a beautiful place to cycle. This is an incredible event, the first World Championships in Africa. That is very special for us as African riders.”

Nevertheless, at the beginning of this year, Girmay openly questioned his participation in the World Championships. On Friday, he gave an example: “I will never ride Liège-Bastogne-Liège, it's too tough for me. I don't go to a cycling race just to start and then drop out. I normally always start with the intention of competing for a good result and getting the best out of myself.”

That will be different on Sunday. "Now I am delighted that I can represent my country and wear the Eritrea jersey. When the federation asked me to participate, I agreed. I'll be here to support my teammates," he said, referring to Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier (Lidl-Trek), Merhawi Kudus (Burgos), and Natnael Tesfatsion (Movistar), among others.

For Girmay himself, there is little to be gained in Rwanda, he said sadly. “The course is not good for any African rider; it's much too tough. That's not nice, to be honest. It's the first time in Africa, so it would have been nice if they had given the African riders more opportunities. The Africans don't play a role in the junior and U23 categories.”

According to Girmay, a great deal is needed to produce African riders who can compete effectively on a challenging course in the future. He himself comes from Eritrea, where cycling is much more advanced in terms of what he calls “the basics.” In many other countries, this is lagging. “Africa is a vast continent, with countries that differ greatly from one another.”

According to Girmay, no World Championships or major cycling races are needed to really advance African cycling. “The first thing we need is the basics. We are already far behind European countries when it comes to equipment; a good racing bike costs between 40,000 and 50,000 euros these days. I don't know any family that can afford that, so we need help.”

“The government must support people who don't have the financial means,” says the spokesperson for African cycling. “Here and in other African countries, I see so many people with racing bikes that are simply the wrong size. The saddle is too high, or the handlebars are too low... The basics, in other words. Above all, we need better facilities, including in terms of nutrition.”