On Wednesday, September 18th, Intermarché-Wanty raced on home turf at the Grand Prix de Wallonie, culminating in a spectacular finish at the Citadel of Namur.
The Wallonian WorldTeam made the final stages of the race thrilling, first with a split in the peloton in the last hour of racing. Their leader, Biniam Girmay, was part of the leading group of 25 riders.
After the peloton regrouped with 15 kilometers to go and the summit of the Tienne aux Pierres, Georg Zimmermann launched an attack with Mads Würtz Schmidt. The duo held a 45-second gap until the foot of the Route Merveilleuse leading to the Citadel.
On the cobbled climb of the final 3 kilometers, Zimmermann dropped his companion and rode solo before being caught in the final 500 meters. Despite a chaotic final corner, Biniam Girmay made a powerful sprint to finish in fourth place.
Georg Zimmermann: “It was a complicated race for the attackers. Our plan was to follow the moves, and so I took advantage of an acceleration at a critical moment to go, but the headwind was too strong. With Mads Würtz, we were at our limit and working perfectly together, but the two or three kilometers of valley before the Citadel were fatal for us. Despite everything, this performance today allows me to approach the last month of the season with optimism, including the World Championships.”
Biniam Girmay: “I am very disappointed with this result because I feel like I let victory slip away. I wanted to take the last corner on the outside, but it was a mistake. A rider hit me at that moment, as a result I lost a lot of speed and lost positions. I felt very strong on the final straight, but I was coming back from too far to be able to win. I’m still looking on the bright side, my form is excellent for this end of the season and I will continue to hunt for victory.”
