Mulu Hailemichael had made it, he thought.

The then-20 year old Ethiopian racer was just three months into his European racing odyssey when he won the KoM and placed fifth overall at the 2019 Giro Valle d’Aosta, a key U23 stage race where riders like Thibaut Pinot, Enric Mas, and Fabio Aru signaled their early potential. Mauri Vansevenant, now of Soudal Quick-Step, won the race, and Juanpe López, who would go on to wear the Giro d’Italia’s maglia rosa for 10 days in 2022, won a stage. 

Hailemichael was in fine company. Verified as capable of competing in Europe, the French ProTeam Nippo-Delko-One Provence signed him on a three-year deal, beginning in 2020. He won a stage at February’s Tour of Rwanda before COVID-19 lockdowns hit, and raced back in Europe in the abbreviated late summer and early autumn season. When he returned to Ethiopia on October 31, he didn’t foresee what was around the corner. 

For several years, ethnic tensions in newly democratic Ethiopia had been rising, as federal authorities led by prime minister Abiy Ahmed clashed with leaders in the Tigray region over political power-sharing and election delays, among other issues. Hailemichael was about to land right in the middle of it.

This article was published on Escape Collective in June 2023. You can read the full article here.