After 197 kilometers of racing from Saint-Malo in the Tour de France stage on Friday, July 11, riders will tackle the Mûr-de-Bretagne climb. With its two kilometers of ascent at a 6.9% gradient, the course profile is not favorable to 2024 green jersey holder Biniam Girmay, whose sprinting skills will not come into play on the stage. Still, the Eritrean may have reason to celebrate at the finish line, which is not far from Gomené, a village of 550 inhabitants near Loudéac in France's Côtes-d'Armor department. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has established a training center for Africa's most promising riders there, including some of Girmay's compatriots from Intermarché-Wanty.

The initiative is part of the Africa 2025 project launched by the UCI World Cycling Centre in 2022 to prepare for this year's Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda, from September 21 to 28. It will be the first time the event takes place on the African continent. With Africa 2025, the Swiss-based organization aims to develop professional cycling on the continent and see more African riders in major international races.

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