Eritrea's Biniam Girmay becomes first Black African rider to win Tour de France stage

Eritrea's Biniam Girmay celebrates winning ahead of Colombia's Fernado Gavira, right, during the third stage of the Tour de France cycling race over 230.8 kilometers

Biniam Girmay has made history by becoming the first Black African to win a Tour de France stage.

The Eritrean rider sprinted to glory in the third stage of the race, on Monday, crossing the line in the northern Italian city of Turin.

He said his win was “for all Africans.”

"We must be proud now. We are really part of the big races,” he added. “Now it’s our moment. It’s our time.”

He'd already entered the records' books two years ago, when he won a stage at the Giro d’Italia to become the first Black African to take a victory in a Grand Tour, a term that encompasses the three major three-week races: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the Spanish Vuelta.

However, Girmay’s victory was marred after getting hit in the left eye by a prosecco cork he popped open during the podium celebration - forcing him to abandon the race.

Meanwhile, Britain's Mark Cavendish’s pursuit of a record-breaking 35th stage win was postponed by a crash ahead of him in the finale, and Olympic champion Richard Carapaz took the yellow jersey from Tadej Pogacar - making him the first Ecuadorean to lead cycling's biggest race.

39-year-old Cavendish has been tied with Eddy Merckx on 34 wins for three years and put off retirement to try again this year to break the record.

The mostly flat 231-kilometre leg from Piacenza to Turin - the longest stage of this year’s Tour de France, provided the first chance for a mass sprint.

There will be at least a handful of other opportunities for sprinters after the race crosses back into France following the first four stages in Italy.