Intermarché-Wanty set foot on Canadian soil at the beginning of the week to compete in the Grand Prix of Quebec and Montreal this Friday, September 13th, and Sunday, September 15th.
Among the ranks of the Belgian team is Biniam Girmay, who is participating in the Canadian classics for the third consecutive year, fresh from a podium finish at the BEMER Cyclassics last Sunday where he took third place.
This Friday, the circuit laid out around Quebec features sixteen 15-kilometer laps, each including the Côte de la Montagne (300m at 8%) and the Côte des Glacis (400m at 6%), with a slightly uphill finish. It was on this finish that Girmay obtained a third-place finish in 2022, his first podium on the American continent.
Two days later on Sunday, the 200-kilometer course around Montreal boasts 4000 meters of vertical ascent, a circuit more favorable to climbers-puncheurs with the Côte de Camillien-Houde (2.3km at 6%) as the main attraction.
Alongside the Tour de France’s green jersey contender, we find the faithful lieutenant Dion Smith, the punchers Georg Zimmermann and Lorenzo Rota who both finished in the top 20 in Montreal, as well as the young trio formed at Wanty-ReUz-Technord, Francesco Busatto, Alexy Faure Prost, and Roel van Sintmaartensdijk.
Biniam Girmay:
“It’s always a pleasure for me to come back and race in Canada. The classics of Quebec and Montreal are two of the most beautiful races of the season. Every year, when we establish the racing program with the Performance Team during the winter, I ask to participate in the Canadian races. The weather is almost always ideal and the circuits are magnificent. I don’t often have the opportunity to race outside of Europe during the season, so it’s an even more special experience. In terms of sport, we are starting with great ambitions. We will compete for the best possible result and our goal is to be on the podium.”
