'This is a day I will never forget' - A look back at Daniel Teklehaimanot's milestone moment at the Tour de France

It's been ten years since Daniel Teklehaimanot wrote his name into cycling's history books as the first Black rider to wear a special classification jersey in the 112-year history of the Tour de France. Cyclingnews looks back on this achievement on July 9 while speaking with Biniam Girmay, Doug Ryder, and others from the French Grand Tour.

On July 9, 2015, stage 6 of the Tour de France took place across a fairly flat 191.5km route from Abbeville to Le Havre. A day to get through and move on to the next.

Racing for Team MTN-Qhubeka, Teklehaimanot, a tall and slight 26-year-old from the small town of Debarwa in central Eritrea, crossed the line in 145th position, three minutes and six seconds behind stage winner Zdeněk Štybar.

He dropped five spots on the GC from 120th to 125^th, with a 30-minute deficit; seemingly normal domestique kind of data for a small budget team from South Africa making its debut in ‘La Grande Boucle.”

However, at the moment Teklehaimanot crossed the line - at 5:13 pm that evening - a major moment in history took place because, with three KOM points, he became the wearer of the prestigious ‘polka dot’ KOM jersey. At that moment, he became the first Black man to ever wear a classification leader's jersey in the 112-year history of the event.

Teklehaimanot said at the time, “It is a big step for African cycling, and I feel really proud at the moment because I have this jersey. I am proud to be African, and I am proud to be Eritrean," he said.

"This is a day I will never forget. [At home] they are really very proud of us, and they are really supportive. Yes, of course, they are following us from the beginning to the finish. With this jersey, it is a dream that has come true."

Team MTN-Qhubeka, even being at the race, was a historical moment. Although South African riders Robbie Hunter and Daryl Impey had had success at the Tour de France before 2015, this was the first time an African-headquartered team had taken part.

With five African riders from South Africa and Eritrea among their nine-member squad, this team changed the face of professional cycling.

MTN-Qhubeka’s Team Principal Doug Ryder looked back on this milestone moment and its ten-year anniversary and said, "Wow, it is ten years ago, I still remember it so clearly. Christian Prudhomme invited us to open the Tour de France as the first-ever African team.

"Stage 1 was an ITT, and I was stood on the podium with the Mayor of Utrecht and Daniel [Teklehaimanot], who was in his beautiful Eritrean National Championship jersey. He had just won the ITT in Asmara a few weeks before and had tears of pride rolling down his face under his time trial helmet!

"Having him there, and what he did in that first week to take the KOM jersey and then wear it for the next three stages was just epic.”

And at that moment, nearly 8,000km away, a spark was lit.

Back in Asmara, the capital of the cycling-mad country of Eritrea, celebrations erupted. Many people there watch the Tour de France in cinemas in exceptionally large groups so the emotions of seeing the first Eritrean win a Tour de France jersey ran wild, there were parties and festivities for days.

Among those in the seats of a cinema in downtown Asmara was a just-turned-fifteen-year-old boy. He sat watching the podium ceremony and saw Teklehaimanot on stage with his arms raised, in the polka dot jersey. A spark fired in the heart and mind of that young boy. That young boy was Biniam Girmay.

Cyclingnews spoke to Girmay in the paddock ahead of stage 5 here at the 2025 Tour de France about that moment ten years ago.

“I remember it very well. I was in a cinema that day with my father. Every Eritrean felt so happy that day. It was just super nice to see to see an Eritrean rider shining in the Tour de France. Daniel was a complete legend to us all, and it was amazing to see him represent us back then.”

Teklehaimanot eventually handed over the polka dot jersey to Team Sky’s Chris Froome on stage 10, with Kenyan-born Froome then going on to win the race, keeping both the KOM and the yellow jerseys.

Cyclingnews spoke with cycling commentator Phil Liggett about his memories of that day. “It really was a marvellous day for African cycling, and Daniel Teklehaimanot was an absolute star, pulling on that polka dot jersey back in 2015. It was a great pleasure for me, as I have a little bit of Africa in me, too, as I live in South Africa, and I really wanted him to succeed," Liggett said.

"And he then held onto that jersey, fighting tooth and nail as he only had a few points, but he was in the lead. When he finally handed over that jersey to four-times Tour de France winner Chris Froome, he gave it away to a good man. Daniel did so much good for African cycling, and he gave the whole of the continent someone to cheer.”

With Teklehaimanot, and we must not forget the other Eritrean pioneers of that time, on that team with Merhawi Kudus, also racing the 2015 Tour de France at just 21 years old.

In the wider squad, Eritrea was also represented by Natnael Berhane, Rwanda by Adrien Niyonshuti, Algeria’s Youcef Reguigui, and nine South Africans, all alongside some very talented European riders, including Matt Brammeier, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Serge Pauwels, and Steve Cummings. Steve went on to win Stage 14 (Rodez-Mende) on Mandela Day, making the 2015 Tour de France one to remember for what was known as ‘Africa’s Team’.