'It's above my limit' - Biniam Girmay unlikely to race Kigali World Championships
Race with 5,475 metres of elevation gain is deemed too hard for 2024 Tour de France green jersey winner
The 2025 UCI road cycling World Championships in Kigali are supposed to be a celebration of the emergence of African cycling. However, Africa’s most decorated rider, Biniam Girmay, has suggested that he won’t be on the start-line due to the difficulty of the parcours.
The men’s elite road race around the Rwandan capital of Kigali will take place over 267.5 kilometres, with a massive 5,475 metres of elevation gain. It’s as hard a World Championships course as has been seen in recent years, naturally deterring the world’s best sprinters.
The likes of Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel will be favourites for the race. Meanwhile, African favourite Girmay has told Sporza, “if you make the journey just to be dropped at that World [Championship], it's pointless.”
It would be a disappointing miss for the UCI and the organisers of the Championships to see Africa’s flagship rider avoid the first Worlds on the continent. Girmay did caveat his hesitation by saying: "I always aim for a good result. If my country wants me there, I will definitely go. But personally, it is not necessary for me to just be there and take part."
Girmay is preparing to take on the 2025 season with a renewed aim for the spring classics and a defence of his Tour de France green jersey win last year, where he also won three stages. His 2024 season was history-making for the sport of cycling, but the Intermarché-Wanty rider is keen to point out that these World Championships not all about him.
Read more: Analysing Biniam Girmay's 2025 season prospects
"Of course this World Championship is a milestone for African cycling, but I can't do anything there myself. Will I not go? We'll see. I would like to be there and I will try, but it will be difficult for me to even finish," he said, leaving the door slightly open to a possible participation.
African prospects at the 2025 Worlds may sit more promisingly with the elite women. Mauritian Kim le Court and South African Ashleigh Moolman Pasio, both riding for AG Insurance-Soudal, are outsiders for the rainbow bands on the tough course. There are also several young riders who will hope to impress in the junior and under-23 categories.
Intermarché-Wanty team manager Aike Visebeek has criticised the design of the course. He believes that it’s too challenging and rules out swathes of riders from contending for the win even before the racing has begun. He doesn’t think aiming for the World Championships is the best move for his prize asset, Girmay.
"I really don't think it's right that such a route has been drawn up for that continent when you have Biniam as a classics rider. There are many one-day specialists who won't even bother to go to Africa," Visebeek said to Sporza.
"I see two or three favourites who can win. So it is not good for African cycling that such a course has been laid out."
"If Bini wants to ride, he should do it. But I have my doubts. And rightly so. It doesn't help Bini," Visebeek added.
Without Girmay, the Eritrean team may look to the likes of Natnael Tesfatsion, Henok Mulubrhan and Merhawi Kudus to claim a result in the men’s elite race at the African Worlds.
Read more: 'I never gave up' - Merhawi Kudus on bouncing back to the pro ranks after a year in Asia
Girmay may not be the only important omission from Kigali 2025. Several national federations have already stated that they won’t send full squads to the Championships due to budgetary concerns.
Denmark have already pulled out their junior and under-23 riders from Kigali 2025. A statement on the Cykling Danmark website in November said: “Denmark's Cycling Union has made the difficult decision that the Danish U19 and U23 national teams will not participate in the 2025 Road Cycling World Championships in Rwanda. The decision was made on the basis of financial considerations and the special preparations required to compete at altitudes between 1,500 and 1,700 metres.”
Belgian Cycling CEO Nathalie Clauwaert has also said that the forecasted outgoings for the event are more than double those of the 2022 Worlds in Australia. They are looking at similar measures to the Danes and others are reported to have similar doubts.
It’s looking more and more possible that the 2025 Worlds in Kigali could be greatly diminished in terms of start-list quality, particularly among the junior and under-23 categories.
Head to Global Peloton’s new page dedicated to all Kigali 2025 coverage. I’ll be covering the Championships in depth throughout the year, so make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss any new posts.
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It does feel like a bizarre own goal to make this course so tough. From a cynical point of view you’d think the organisers would want to capitalise on Girmay’s success and popularity as much as possible.
Pogačar is going to be the overwhelming favourite on any parcours, so why cater the course even more to a rider like him, at the expense of home-grown riders who will either struggle enormously or not turn up at all?
It’s really sad that what should be an exciting breakthrough for the sport is shaping up to be an example used by those who want to keep the sport Euro-centric