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Milano - Sanremo

Biniam Girmay 12th in his first Monument

This Saturday, Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux participated in the first Monument of the season on the occasion of Milano-Sanremo (1.UWT, 19/03). For the third time in its history, the Belgian World Team lined up for the start on the Piazza del Duomo in Milan for the race of 293 kilometer.

Behind the breakaway of eight riders who escaped immediately after the start sign of this 113th edition, the riders under the direction of Aike Visbeek, Valerio Piva and Ioannis Tamouridis took place in the lead of the peloton around their leaders Alexander Kristoff (winner in 2014), Biniam Girmay and Lorenzo Rota

The experimented Rein Taaramäe then took command of the peloton and guided his teammates through the downhill of the Passo del Turchino, the first difficulty of the day after 140 kilometer. On their way to the final 50 kilometer, the entire selection of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux stayed in the front of the peloton, enabling Kristoff, Girmay and Rota to be perfectly positioned at the start of the Capo Mele, the first of five hills in the final of Milano-Sanremo.

Only 27 riders remained in the peloton after a very intense ascension of the Cipressa. Biniam Girmay, who discovered the race, managed to follow the best alongside Lorenzo Rota, while the two last escapees of the early breakaway were caught. Just like on the Cipressa, several favorites tried to escape on the Poggio, but they only managed to skim the leading group to seventeen riders with the young Girmay. 

In the end, Mohoric escaped in the downhill of this last difficulty and rode solo towards the Via Roma. Girmay crossed the line 12 seconds after the winner after six and a half hours of effort and took 12th place in the first Monument of his career. Ten seconds later, Rota finished 19th, with Kristoff winning the sprint of the peloton for 26th place.

« I’ve been looking forward to participating in Milano-Sanremo for years and it was an incredible experience. I think it was probably one of the fastest and toughest finals in a long time. Thanks to the support of our teammates, Alexander, Lorenzo and I could start the final in perfect circumstances, because they kept us out of the wind and out of troubles from the start and helped us with food and drinks. A couple of strong teams didn’t have a top sprinter in their roster, so we could imagine that they would start a big battle on the Cipressa. So it was a fierce positioning game towards the foot and starting in the top five helped me to survive well. I gave everything on the Poggio, I was totally empty in the downhill. It was amazing to finish twelfth in my first participation in Milano-Sanremo, I am very happy! »

RESULTS

0
1.Matej MohoricBahrain Victorious6:27:49
2.Anthony TurgisTotal Energies+0:02
3.Mathieu van der PoelAlpecin Fenix+0:02
12.BINIAM GIRMAY HAILUIntermarché-Circus-Wanty+0:11BINIAM GIRMAY HAILU19.LORENZO ROTAIntermarché-Circus-Wanty+0:21LORENZO ROTA

General Classification

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