Despite the loss of its leader Biniam Girmay, Intermarché-Wanty managed to remobilize immediately in the Tour of Italy, propelling young sprinter Madis Mihkels into the top 10 for the second consecutive stage this Wednesday, May 8.
The 20-year-old Estonian rider, one of the four World Team debutants and the second youngest rider in this Giro, first took part in the mass sprint in the streets of Andora on Tuesday, to finish ninth.
For the third time since the start of the Giro, Lilian Calmejane joined the breakaway. Having taken the lead at the top of the Colle del Melogno, the Frenchman had regained the blue jersey at the start of the fifth stage, now second in this secondary classification behind the pink jersey Tadej Pogacar.
This Wednesday, behind the four breakaway riders who resisted the peloton’s pressure on its way to Lucca, Madis Mihkels took sixth place in the peloton, or tenth place in the stage. With its two places of honor and the podium Girmay, Intermarché-Wanty records a top 10 for the third consecutive stage.
“For my first Grand Tour, I am particularly impressed with how the stages went. For those sprint stages, the fight for positioning begins 50 kilometers from the finish. Collectively, we have always managed to position ourselves well and reach the top ten. After the loss of Biniam Girmay yesterday, remobilizing was not easy. I was ready to give everything for him again after his podium on Monday, until suddenly I was given the responsibility of last man myself. Suddenly changing roles and feeling all the pressure is not trivial. But like in the Scheldeprijs, where our designated sprinters Gerben Thijssen and Arne Marit had crashed, I took over and managed to obtain a good result. » “Today, as the final approached, Roel van Sintmaartensdijk made sure that I could start the climb to Montemagno in a good position. Lilian Calmejane moved to the front of the peloton alongside the other teams of sprinters in pursuit of the breakaway. But unfortunately, the four fugitives resisted. In the sprint for fifth place I opted for Caleb Ewan's wheel, after which I found myself a bit stuck between Phil Bauhaus and the safety barriers. But I'm happy to finish with the six fastest riders in the peloton. The level of sprinters is very high, even choosing the right wheel it is difficult to achieve victory. Together so far we have done a great job on the sprint stages, we are determined to continue to make the most of this Giro despite our bad luck. »
