Merhawi Kudus

Merhawi Kudus
Kudus at the 2023 Tour de l'Ain
Personal information
Full nameMerhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin
Born (1994-01-23) 23 January 1994 (age 32)
Asmara, Eritrea
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight58 kg (128 lb; 9.1 st)
Cycling career
SportCycling
Current teamBurgos Burpellet BH
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimbing specialist
Amateur teams
2013World Cycling Centre
2013Bretagne–Séché Environnement (stagiaire)
Professional teams
2014–2018MTN–Qhubeka
2019–2021Astana
2022–2023EF Education–EasyPost
2024Terengganu Cycling Team
2025–Burgos Burpellet BH
Major wins
One-day races and Classics
African Road Race Championships (2025)
National Road Race Championships (2018, 2022)
National Time Trial Championships (2021)
Medal record
Men's road cycling
Representing  Eritrea
African Road Championships
Gold medal – first place2015 WartburgTeam time trial
Gold medal – first place2025 KwaleRoad race

Merhawi Kudus Ghebremedhin (Tigrinya: መርሃዊ ቕዱስ ገብረመድኅን; born 23 January 1994) is an Eritrean professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI ProTeam Burgos Burpellet BH. During his professional career, Merhawi has taken seven victories including the African road race championship, three national titles across the road race and time trial, and the general classification at the 2019 Tour du Rwanda.

Career

Born in Asmara, Merhawi was named in the start list for the 2015 Tour de France, becoming one of the first two black Africans to start the Tour alongside teammate and countryman Daniel Teklehaimanot. At the age of 21 Merhawi was the youngest rider in the race. He was named in the start list for the 2016 Giro d'Italia.

He competed in the men's road race at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Merhawi won the road race at the 2025 African Road Championships, finishing 1-2 with fellow countryman Awet Aman.

Personal life

One of six children, Merhawi's younger brother Milkias has also competed professionally in cycling.

Major results

Kudus (right) on the final podium of the 2019 Presidential Tour of Turkey, having finished third overall

Source:

2012
6th Overall Tour du Rwanda
1st Stage 1
2013
1st Mountains classification, La Tropicale Amissa Bongo
African Road Championships
2nd Under-23 road race
3rd Road race
2nd Overall Tour of Eritrea
1st Stage 4
2nd Overall Vuelta Ciclista a León
1st Young rider classification
6th Asmara Circuit
8th Overall Fenkil Northern Red Sea Challenge
2014
2nd Overall Tour de Langkawi
3rd Overall Mzansi Tour
5th Overall Route du Sud
1st Young rider classification
2015
African Road Championships
1st Team time trial
1st Under-23 time trial
2nd Under-23 road race
5th Time trial
9th Road race
10th Giro dell'Emilia
10th Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
2016
3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
6th Trofeo Serra de Tramuntana
9th Overall Tour of Oman
2017
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
4th Overall Tour of Oman
1st Young rider classification
9th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
9th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
2018 (1 pro win)
1st Road race, National Road Championships
7th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
9th Overall Tour of Oman
2019 (3)
1st Overall Tour du Rwanda
1st Stages 2 & 3
3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
3rd Overall Presidential Tour of Turkey
6th Road race, African Road Championships
8th Giro della Toscana
2020
8th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
2021 (1)
National Road Championships
1st Time trial
2nd Road race
2nd Overall Adriatica Ionica Race
5th Overall Presidential Tour of Turkey
8th Overall Route d'Occitanie
2022 (1)
National Road Championships
1st Road race
2nd Time trial
2023
2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
5th Overall Tour de l'Ain
2024
African Games
1st Team time trial
2nd Criterium
3rd Road race
3rd Mixed relay
4th Time trial
1st Overall Tour de Banyuwangi Ijen
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 4
2nd Overall Tour of Turkey
2nd Overall Tour de Kumano
2nd Overall Tour of Japan
5th Road race, National Road Championships
9th Muscat Classic
10th Overall AlUla Tour
2025
African Road Championships
1st Road race
6th Time trial
7th Clàssica Camp de Morvedre
2026
5th Time trial, National Road Championships
7th Overall Pune Grand Tour

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Pink jersey Giro d'Italia — — 37 — — — — — 61
Yellow jersey Tour de France — 84 — — — — — — —
red jersey Vuelta a España 92 — 38 DNF 31 — 58 — 79
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References

  1. 1 2 "Merhawi Kudus". MTN–Qhubeka. Qhubeka. Retrieved 17 August 2014.
  2. ↑ "Astana Pro Team presented renewed roster for 2019". Astana. Apgrade. 16 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  3. ↑ "Astana Pro Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  4. ↑ "Astana - Premier Tech". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  5. ↑ "Merhawi Kudus signs for EF Education-Nippo". cyclingnews.com. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  6. ↑ "EF EDUCATION - NIPPO". UCI. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  7. ↑ "Burgos-BH". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
  8. 1 2 "Cycling Road KUDUS Merhawi". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-08-08. Retrieved 2021-08-08.
  9. ↑ "2015 Tour de France start list". Velo News. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
  10. ↑ Cummings, Basia (10 July 2015). "Daniel Teklehaimanot: 'I'm proud to be an Eritrean riding the Tour de France'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  11. ↑ "Daniel Teklehaimanot becomes first African to compete in Tour de France". thenational.ae. 4 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  12. ↑ "99th Giro d'Italia Startlist". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  13. ↑ Moultrie, James (24 November 2025). "'I can't express how happy I am' – 12 years after podium finish as a teenager, Merhawi Kudus wins African Continental Championships road title". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Racing bikes in Eritrea". EF Education–EasyPost. EF Pro Cycling. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
  15. ↑ "Merhawi Kudus". FirstCycling.com. FirstCycling AS. Retrieved 7 December 2023.