“I started cycling around three years ago, inspired by my brother Biniam and the Tour de France. Since then, I try to watch as many races as possible on television and I was hoping to follow Biniam to the European cycling scene. Last week I arrived in Belgium and my dream came true. I was immediately invited to accompany the pro riders of Intermarché-Wanty during their recon of Omloop het Nieuwsblad. It was a warm welcome and I really appreciated discovering the Flemish cobbles. I then met the staff and my teammates of Wanty-ReUz-Technord in Brussels-Opwijk, where I witnesses the second place of Zeno Moonen from the sports director’s car. By leaving my country for the first time, I immediately understood that the adaptation to life in Belgium would contain many challenges. I will have to adapt to the cold and wet weather circumstances, for example. I went hypothermic during my first race. But I’m very motivated to succeed and I can rely on the support of the team to get there. I have daily contact with my trainer Christophe Prémont and Kévin Van Melsen. Meanwhile, I already did some quality training sessions with my teammates Willam Graff and Tim Rex. I’m also looking forward to the arrival of my housemate Aklilu Arefayne in Belgium. My aim is to learn as much as possible this season, hoping to obtain results for Wanty-ReUz-Technord from next year.”
Mewael Girmay Tweet
“Mewael Girmay has an interesting profile for the classics and he’s got fast legs in the sprint, he has exactly the same physical characteristics as his brother Biniam. Rein Taaramäe had the opportunity to train a lot with him the past month in Asmara, he was clearly impressed by his capabilities. So I can’t wait to see him racing with the team for the first time this Sunday and then define the steps that have to be taken in his development. Taking into account that this is the first time he’s staying out of his country, he logically has a lot to learn and will need time to adapt. I’m thinking of the weather, with temperatures he isn’t used to at all. Just like for Aklilu Arefayne, we’ll offer him the best conditions to help him adapt to Europe. He is welcomed by the same family, closely surrounded by several team members. By offering a good structure to several young African talents, we wish to contribute to the development of cycling on this continent, which has so much to offer. Aklilu Arefayne quickly obtained results with Wanty-ReUz-Technord one year ago and I’m convinced that Mewael Girmay will be able to do the same on the long term.”
Kévin van Melsen (Sports Director) Tweet