Eye-popping injury forces race exit
Champagne ride into history ends in agony after cork hits rising star in the eye
An Eritrean cyclist who was celebrating a historymaking victory at the Giro d’Italia was struck in the eye by a cork popped from a bottle of Italian sparkling wine and forced to withdraw from the race.
Biniam Girmay had become the first black African to win a stage at a Grand Tour when he won an enthralling uphill sprint on Wednesday. But he was rushed to a hospital after getting hit in the left eye by a Prosecco cork he popped open during the podium celebration.
Tests revealed a haemorrhage in his eye and the team doctor said it was “strongly recommended” he avoid physical activity.
“The news about the incident felt like a cold shower,” said Girmay’s team director, Valerio Piva. “It is of course a pity to lose an element like Biniam, but the advice of the medical team is clear and the health of Biniam is our priority.”
The 22-year-old Girmay still celebrated the victory over Mathieu van der Poel — one of the top riders in the sport — with his Intermarche Wanty-Gobert teammates when he returned from the hospital.
“When I arrived after the hospital, the bad moment, I enjoy a bit with my teammates, the staff, everybody,” Girmay said. “I’m also happy now. I was a bit sad about what happened with the champagne but when I come back to the hotel they were super happy also,” he said.
“They were a bit afraid but when I looked okay we really enjoyed. But I didn’t start the race because I need some rest to give more power to the eye. I’m okay now, see you soon.”
Girmay is one of the most promising riders in the sport and could help revolutionise African cycling, a continent underrepresented at the top level.
In March, he became the first rider from a sub-Saharan country to win a single-day classic with victory at Gent- Wevelgem, and Girmay almost won the Giro’s opening stage, for which he would have also worn the famous pink jersey of the overall leader. But he was edged by van der Poel in a chaotic uphill sprint in Hungary.
“From the opening stage, Biniam Girmay showed we were right to believe in our chances to win a stage,” Piva said.
“It is remarkable to see how his teammates go through fire each day to obtain the best possible result and how happy everyone is to work with him.”
With Grimay absent from yesterday’s bunch sprint, Alberto Dainese became the first Italian rider to win a stage in this year’s Giro by sprinting to victory on stage 11. A surprise winner, Dainese, who rides for Team DSM, overcame the likes of Arnaud Demare, Caleb Ewan and Mark Cavendish to surge in the final metres for a brilliant victory. He was a long way behind his rivals at the start of the sprint but powered his way through to beat Fernando Gaviria on the line for his first stage win at a Grand Tour, and first at World Tour level.
“The plan was to go for [teammate] Cees [Bol] in the sprint but in the last kilometres we swapped as he didn’t feel so good,” Dainese said. “I was a bit boxed-in in the middle then I found a gap on the left and I just went to the line with Gaviria on the right. The last 20 metres I came past him and that feels super.” There was a slight change in the overall standings as favourite Richard Carapaz moved into second after picking up bonus seconds during an intermediate sprint. Juan Pedro Lopez has a 12-second lead over Carapaz and Joao Almeida as the three-week race passes the halfway stage, but Lopez is expected to lose the leader’s jersey to the superior climbers when the race returns to the mountains this weekend.