This Saturday, July 5, Intermarché-Wanty got off to a flying start in their eighth participation in the Tour de France, with their sprinter Biniam Girmay securing second place in the streets of Lille.
Thanks to his podium finish, achieved after 198 kilometers, the 25-year-old rider claimed the white jersey for the best young rider. This marks the third distinctive jersey worn by the Walloon team in the Tour de France, following the green jersey and the polka dot jersey.
The inaugural stage was enlivened by Jonas Rutsch, who was part of the first breakaway of this Tour. He stayed at the front for two hours until being caught just before the intermediate sprint, where Girmay took third place, earning 15 points for the green jersey classification.
Under the threat of echelons in the Hauts-de-France region, the peloton became increasingly nervous in the final phase of the stage, leading to a split 20 kilometers from the finish. Girmay was part of the first group, a strong contingent of thirty riders, who ultimately battled for victory in the streets of Lille.
Finishing second at the line, he was only defeated by Jasper Philipsen, the new yellow jersey wearer of the Tour. Girmay took the white jersey for the best young rider, and now sits in second place in both the general classification and the points classification with 45 units, 18 behind the day’s winner.
"When I crossed the line, I felt a great disappointment to come so close to victory and the yellow jersey. Despite everything, I'm happy to have given my all and to finish this chaotic first stage without a hitch. I came to this Tour to win; I've worked hard to be at my best level. Today, it's second place, but there's twenty days left and I'm going to do everything to reach the top step of the podium in the coming days."
