Eritrean cycling star Biniam Girmay has expressed strong doubts about his participation in the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Rwanda, the first historic world championship event to be held in Africa.

The Intermarché-Wanty rider, stage winner at the Tour de France and Gent-Wevelgem, compared the route of the elite road race to the Liège-Bastogne-Liège, stressing that it is too selective and suitable for very few World Tour riders.

"It's not nice to see a course that offers so few opportunities to African runners, especially in the first edition of the World Championships on our continent," Girmay said during the press conference at the Kigali Convention Centre. "That's why I had doubts about participating. The course is really very tough."

The road race route is 267.5 km with 5,475 metres of elevation gain, including nine initial and six final laps on a 15.1 km street circuit, as well as three additional climbs in the central section: the Côte de Péage (1.8 km at 5.9%), Mount Kigali (5.9 km at 6.9% reaching 1,771 metres) and the feared Mur de Kigali, 400 metres of cobblestones with an average gradient of 11%.

Despite criticism of her route, Girmay decided to participate to support the national team: "I'm always happy to wear the national team jersey and represent my country. The federation asked me to be here to help the team, and I accepted 100%."

The Eritrean champion also stressed the importance of greater investment in the development of cycling in Africa, highlighting the need for better equipment, coaching, and nutritional support for the continent's young talents.

Sprint Cycling Photos