Girmay returns to action this week after cork injury recovery
Eritrean to do TT and road race at National Championships
Biniam Girmay will return to racing this weekend after recovering from the eye injury he sustained in a freak accident on the podium at the Giro d'Italia.
The Eritrean, who suffered a haemorrhage in the anterior chamber of his left eye last month, will race his National Championships this weekend.
He will line up in the time trial on Friday June 24, as well as the road race on Sunday June 26.
Biniam Girmay suffered his injury when opening the celebratory bottle of bubbly after becoming the first Black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage on stage 10 of the Giro d'Italia.
The cork flew out and hit his left eye, causing a haemorrhage in the anterior chamber, which forced him to abandon the race.
A week after the accident, fresh medical tests determined that Girmay had escaped without permanent damage to his eye, although a total period of nearly three weeks off the bike had to be observed.
Girmay, who won Gent-Wevelgem in the spring, will not make his Tour de France debut this year, instead building the second part of his season around the World Championships in Australia.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
After his National Championships, he is set to return to Europe in July before racing the Tour de Pologne and a number of one-day Classics in advance of the Worlds.
"Thank you to everyone who supported me and pushed me. I'm OK now. See you soon," Girmay had said as he left the Giro.
"I was a bit sad about what happened with the champagne but when I came back to the hotel they were super happy. They were a bit afraid, but when it looked ok, I really enjoyed it, I'm happy."
Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*
Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets
After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59
Join now for unlimited access
Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Patrick is a freelance sports writer and editor. He’s an NCTJ-accredited journalist with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages (French and Spanish). Patrick worked full-time at Cyclingnews for eight years between 2015 and 2023, latterly as Deputy Editor.