Biniam Girmay withdraws from Giro the day after historic victory with eye injury
Prosecco cork freak accident on the podium leads to DNS
Photo by:
Sirotti
Biniam Girmay and his Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert team announced on Wednesday morning that the Eritrean, who made history Tuesday at the Giro d’Italia by becoming first Black African rider to win a stage of Grand Tour, was withdrawing from the race after suffering an injury on the podium when he caught a prosecco cork in the left eye.
The sprinter was left with a hemorrhage in the anterior chamber. In a team statement, squad doctor Piet Daneels said, “In order to minimize the risk of expansion of the hemorrhage and the intraocular pressure, it is strongly recommended to avoid physical activity. Our priority is a complete healing of the injury and that’s why we decided together with the rider and the sports direction that Biniam will not appear at the start of the eleventh stage.”
Girmay was second in the points classification with six top-five finishes.
The Eritrean is next scheduled to race the Brussels Cycling Classic on June 5.
