This Sunday 2nd of June, Biniam Girmay secured another podium by winning the sprint for second place in the Brussels Classic, his last race with Intermarché-Wanty before the Tour de France.
The Walloon team fully dedicated themselves to supporting the winner of Wednesday’s Circuit Franco-Belge, who himself initiated attacks on the second passage over the cobblestones of the Kapelmuur and Bosberg, the major difficulties of the 218 kilometer classic, which also included the Zavelstraat and Congoberg climbs.
His two accelerations resulted in a group of around 30 riders leading the race with 45 kilometers remaining to the finish. Within this group, Girmay was accompanied by Mike Teunissen, Laurenz Rex and Dion Smith who maintained a high pace to prevent the return of the rest of the peloton. The second group, which followed one minute behind for a long time, never came back thanks to the work of Intermarché-Wanty at the front and with Gerben Kuypers and Francesco Busatto contributing to hinder the chase.
After the final difficulty of Heiligekruiswegstraat, Jonas Abrahamsen seized a moment of hesitation to break away from the leading group and claim a solo victory. Behind him, the Walloon World Team guided Biniam Girmay to second place in the sprint, finishing just four seconds behind the winner. After his second place in Rund um Köln and his victory in the Circuit Franco-Belge, Girmay achieves his third podium in a time span of one week.
"We started with the ambition to win and we raced accordingly. But in the end, we have to admit that Jonas Abrahamsen was very strong. He attacked at the opportune moment, when everyone was exhausted, and he had the legs to hold on until the end despite all our efforts to close the gap. But I can be satisfied with my feeling on the main difficulties and this third consecutive podium. Everything is going according to plan again after my bad luck in the spring and the Giro. In recent weeks, I rediscovered the feeling of racing for victory, which I have been longing for for a while. I'm especially happy that I can offer the team this driving force again. I feel physically and mentally at the top of my game. I will continue my preparation for the Tour de France at home, at altitude, in order to line up for the Grand Départ in Florence in this excellent condition in three weeks."
