Tsgabu Grmay
Team Bahrain Merida
Mek’ele is the second biggest city in Ethiopia and my hometown. The city is at high attitude and has hardly any flat roads. There are mountains surrounding the city with the roads going up and down. Cycling is a big sport here. When we have races on Sundays, there are so many spectators lining the roads. The people love cycling. Mek’ele is in the north of Ethiopia and very close to the Eritrean border which is why I think cycling is so big here.
All this means it’s an amazing feeling whenever I am home, training in my WorldTour team clothing. I grew up racing here and I love interacting with everyone when I am home. I have an opportunity to inspire so many and I never take it for granted. I am very blessed.
It’s not just the cyclists but it’s the fans who have so many questions. They want to know how it’s possible to ride 21 stages of a race. They want to know what we do after the stages. What life looks like in Europe. The riders ask how they can become professional riders while others want to know what Froome and Contador are like.
When they ask me how to become a professional I tell them the first thing they need to do is to have a dream, a goal and a vision. The bridge between those dreams is hard work. You have to have the passion and believe in yourself to succeed. Work work work. That is the secret.
Tsgabu Grmay started his second Tour de France in the rain (Photo:ASO/Pauline BALLET)
Motivation comes and goes but the big thing for me is to hold onto my goals. Six years ago my dream was to ride the Tour de France. I’ve now done it twice. So it’s time to dream bigger and set new goals. My new goal is to win a stage of the Tour de France. That is what inspires me every morning. I don’t know how long it will take but I believe in my dream. It might take 10 years, or it might take 2 years, but it will happen. This is what gets me out of the door every morning, working towards a goal. You have to live for your dream.
I don’t have enough time to explain to you while writing here how hard it was for me coming from Mek’ele to make it as a professional cyclist in Europe. But whatever you believe, you can find it. I believe in God and he helped me hold onto this dream. There are no limits in life.
I’m grateful and happy for the family I come from. I am a guy who comes from a large poor family. Things are better now but we’re still fighting. I have a wife and a baby girl to take care of now. I’m grateful for the life I had growing up. It made me a tough guy and overcome challenges. It made me a survivor. My daughter will have a better life but I will work hard to pass my knowledge onto her. I want her to know who God is. That was when I understood life. The new generation are smarter than us with a lot more access to information but there are lessons I’ve learnt growing up that has been invaluable.
Next year will be a new chapter in my life as I move to Trek-Segafredo. This was a very hard decision because I have had a great time with Lampre-Merida and Bahrain-Merida the past three years. I made so many friends in the team and we had great times. They really believed in me. My friendships will stay with the managers, staff and riders. I’ve had great time and would like to thank everyone for looking after me.
Every year I’ve taken a step up with my numbers growing. When the proposal came in from Trek, my management and I decided it was an exciting prospect. I have a dream and I believe they will help me achieve it.
Last modified: Jan 25, 2018
