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Fans are familiar with the talk of Biniam Girmay becoming the first black cyclist to win a stage of the Tour de France, but could another fellow Eritrean be the one to take the long-awaited historic victory?
Henok Mulubrhan, five months older than Girmay, was the 2023 African Cyclist of the Year. He has just started the 2024 season with his new employers, Astana Qazaqstan, at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia where he made headlines by finishing second. the second stage.
“Whether it’s me or Biniam who gets that stage win in the Tour, I don’t know, but winning a stage in the Tour and making history is also my goal,” said the lightweight climber. Velo.
Unfortunately, Mulubrhan crashed out of the AlUla Tour with a broken collarbone, but he should be back on the bike in a few weeks.
Talk to people who know Mulubrhan and they will tell you that he is more than capable of fulfilling his ambitions.
Mulubrhan describes himself as resourceful.
“In shorter races, I’m good on shorter climbs and I have a good sprint so I can be in the GC,” he said. “I can also do well on longer climbs and on the flat.”
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In short, put him on a bike, and off he goes.
A dream almost cut short: “Never give up”
Like Girmay, he was born and raised in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea.
One of five brothers, he started cycling at the age of 15 and won his first race in a mountain bike event. It was enough to convince his initially reluctant father that he was good enough to pursue his sporting dream, and Mulubrhan was soon riding a Trek road bike that would give him more wins in local races.
In 2018, he was invited to train for six months at the UCI World Cycling Center in Aigle, Switzerland. While there, he caught the attention of the Qhubeka Continental team and in the summer of 2021 it was announced that he would strengthen the African team’s WorldTour squad in 2022.
But Qhubeka NextHash folded at the end of December 2021, leaving Mulubrhan’s dream in tatters.
“It was a really, really bad moment, one I’ll never forget,” said the silent rider. “I went to Aigle with Biniam and we both had the same vision: to sign for a WorldTour team.
“I was at home in Asmara when my agent called me and said the team was closing. ‘Where am I going?’ I asked him. It was such a bad time for me and I wanted to stop cycling. My family also couldn’t take the news: they were so happy that their son was going to be at the top level, and then they heard that he wasn’t going to be a professional cyclist. It was the worst bad luck of my life.
“But I remembered what I had told myself before: never give up. I’m a hard worker and I said I have to find another way for the WorldTour.”
Took 2nd place in Stage 2 @thealulator First podium of the season pic.twitter.com/VGsY964zDP
— HENOK MULUBRHAN (@henokmulubrhan) January 31, 2024
Mulubrhan then signed for the small German third-tier team Bike Aid and, after finishing fifth in the 2022 Tour of Rwanda and becoming the African road race champion, Giro d’Italia regulars Bardiana-CSF-Faizanè recruited him in late Of March.
“I was really lucky that Bardiani wanted me and as soon as I joined them I said this would be my new WorldTour course,” he recalled. “As a kid, my dream was to get good results in Europe, some wins and make history.”
In the 18 months of racing that followed, Mulubrhan performed admirably around the world, defended his African road race title and won the 2023 editions of the Tours of Rwanda and Qinghai Lake.
He also made his Grand Tour debut, completing a rain-soaked Giro last May, tempting Astana to offer him a two-year contract.
“It’s a historic team and I’m very happy to drive for them,” he said. “I had some discussions with other teams, but Astana really fits my characteristics.”
2023 African rider of the year comes to WorldTour: ‘It’s so amazing’
His style has been honed in Africa, Europe and Asia and he has repeatedly had to overcome challenges to reach the top flight.
“When Biniam and I went to the World Cycling Center it was such a good experience, but we were only 18 and not going home for six months was hard,” he said. “We had to tell ourselves that we were in another world. Europe has a completely different culture than Africa.
“They have helped us at Aigle a lot to adapt and I am so grateful to them. If they and Qhubeka didn’t give us the opportunities they did, I wouldn’t be in a WorldTour team today. Biniam and I had a vision: we wouldn’t look back and always wanted to be the best riders we could be. It was difficult, but we followed the path and now we are both here.”
His close friend Girmay, who rides for Intermarché-Wanty, is the current poster child of African cycling and already has a Giro d’Italia stage to his name.
But it was Mulubrhan who was awarded the title of the continent’s best rider in 2023.
“It was an honor for me,” he smiled. “I expected it because I had a very good season, but it’s not easy to win. You look at the big names who have won it in the past and I know I will be remembered in the future.”
I remember talking @henokmulubrhan in Rwanda in 2022. He was racing for a Conti team but hungry for much more. Great things will come from this motivated guy.
— Xylon van Eyck (@XylonVE) January 31, 2024
Now in Astana, he is determined to embrace WorldTour racing and will likely ride the Giro again.
“It’s so amazing for me, my family and my country to be on the WorldTour,” he said. “It’s not an easy sport and you sacrifice a lot for it, but when you get that chance, it changes your life.
“I want a long career in this team. I have my dreams: my first in 2024 is to get good results and win a step in Europe. I also want to improve in the classics and do well on a grand tour. I will not sleep, now is the time to work even harder and believe even more.” For the third time he repeats: “I want to create history.”