Cycling World Championships in Montreal: Eritrea fields five riders behind Biniam Girmay

The road cycling world championships conclude this weekend in Montreal, Canada, with the elite women's road race on Saturday, September 26, 2026, followed by the elite men's race on Sunday, September 27. After a week of competition that began on September 20, Africa is approaching the two premier events with an expanded delegation, led by a full Eritrean team built around Biniam Girmay.

A Canadian course that shows no mercy

The organizers did not design a sprinters' course. According to BikeRadar, the women will race 180.4 km with 2,570 m of elevation gain, while the men will cover 273.7 km with 3,803 m. On these urban rollercoasters, the selection will be made through attrition rather than pure speed, a terrain that has often favored African riders accustomed to long efforts at altitude.

Five Eritreans, one cycling nation

Eritrea is sending five men on Sunday: Biniam Girmay, Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier, Merhawi Kudus, Henok Mulubrhan, and Natnael Tesfatsion, according to the entry list published by 3bikes. It is one of the largest African delegations ever fielded in a world road race, and it is backed by a track record that has already broken down several barriers.

On March 27, 2022, Girmay became the first African to win a classic at Gent-Wevelgem, before winning the 10th stage of the Giro that same year—a first for a Black African rider in a Grand Tour. At the 2024 Tour de France, he won stages 3, 8, and 12 and secured the green jersey for the points classification with a 33-point lead, becoming the first African to bring a distinctive jersey from the Grande Boucle to Paris. He also took silver in the U23 road race at the 2021 World Championships, the first world podium for a Black African rider. Since January 1, 2026, he has been racing for the NSN Cycling Team on a three-year contract.

Algeria's Oussama Abdellah Mimouni will be the other African representative in the men's race.

Saturday, nine African nations in the women's race

The women's race on September 26 offers a broader snapshot of cycling on the continent. South Africa is banking on the experience of Ashleigh Moolman-Pasio, supported by Lisa Bone and Hayley Preen. Rwanda, which hosted the World Championships in 2025, is fielding Diane Ingabire, Xaveline Nirere, and Claudette Nyirarukundo. Kenya is presenting Monica Jelimo Kiplagat and Kendra Masiga, and Algeria is represented by Nesrine Houili. Mauritius, Namibia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe complete the African presence, also according to 3bikes.

These pelotons remain small compared to the European armadas, but they are growing year by year. One year after Kigali, the rainbow jersey is no longer a distant horizon for Africa: it is a goal that its riders are coming to defend on foreign roads.