Henok Mulubrhan has won the African Cyclist of the Year award for the 2023 season.
The Eritrean beat out compatriot Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty) to claim the award for the first time in his career while racing for the Italian ProTeam Green Project-Bardiani CSF-Faizanè.
24-year-old Mulubrhan, who has signed with Astana Qazaqstan for 2024 and 2025, took six of his seven career victories this season, including a stage win and the overall title at the Tour of Qinghai Lake in July.
He also won two stages at the Tour du Rwanda early in the year, winning the road race at the African Continental Championships for the second year in a row in Accra back in February.
"I'm really happy to win this trophy. I've dreamt a lot about being the best African rider. I've been in the top 5 for 3 years and I've finally got it," Mulubrhan said, according to a statement released by organisers of the Tropicale Amissa Bongo stage race, who created the award.
"This year is the best season so far in my career, I've won the Tour of Rwanda and the Tour Qinghai Lake, and I've also been African champion! I'd like to thank my team Green Project-Bardiani CSF- Faizanè, and all my teammates during this season, this trophy belongs to them too! I also want to thank my family and my fans who supported me to win it."
Mulubrhan previously raced for the NTT Continental development squad and the German Continental team Bike Aid before joining Bardiani last April. He'll move to the WorldTour for the first time next year and will hope to take on more Grand Tour racing having made his three-week debut at the Giro d'Italia this May.
He's the eighth Eritrean rider to have won the award, voted on by a 25-person jury headed by Bernard Hinault in 12 editions. Girmay had won it in the past three years following a series of historic results, including Road World Championships U23 silver in 2021 and wins at Gent-Wevelgem and in Jesi at the Giro d'Italia the following season.
In 2023, Girmay endured a disrupted season but still ended his year with stage wins at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana and the Tour de Suisse. He beat Moroccan cyclist Achraf Ed Doghmy into third place in the voting.
Ed Doghmy took nine wins this year, including his national road title, the Tour du Bénin, and stages at the Tour du Cameroun and Tour du Faso.
Mulubrhan was also the top African cyclist on the UCI rankings this season, ending up 107th with 844.75 points. Girmay was 113th on 793 points, while Ed Doghmy was 161st on 620 points.
