Biniam Girmay fought hard to a 27th place in the fastest edition

Intermarché-Wanty is gearing up for its fifth appearance at the upcoming Milano-Sanremo this Saturday, 16 March. As the longest one-day race of the year, the Primavera boasts a course of less than 290 kilometers for the first time in a decade, maintaining its renowned ‘Capi’ and a demanding finale.

The race kicks off at 10:15 from Pavia, situated south of the metropolitan city of Milano. Following tradition, the route heads towards the Ligurian coast via the Passo del Turchino, marking the first significant challenge midway through the event.

The last 50 kilometers include the Capo Mele, the Capo Cervo, and the Capo Berta, leading up to the decisive climbs of the Cipressa (5.6km at 4.1%) and the Poggio di Sanremo (3.6km at 3.7%). From the summit of this final ascent, there’s just over 5 kilometers remaining to the finish on the Via Roma.

In 2022, Biniam Girmay achieved Intermarché-Wanty’s best result in his debut Milano-Sanremo, finishing twelfth a few seconds behind winner Matej Mohoric.

The 23-year-old Eritrean rider, who showed himself against the best sprinters during the Tirreno-Adriatico, is participating for the third time. Next to him are the fast Dion Smith, sixth in the summer edition of 2020, and Mike Teunissen, eighteenth in his first appearance in 2019 as a domestique of Wout van Aert.

Georg Zimmermann, with a podium finish in the first World Tour one-day race of the season, will make his debut this Saturday, just like his teammate Tom Paquot. The selection led by Aike Visbeek and Laurenzo Lapage is completed by Lilian Calmejane and the experienced Gijs Van Hoecke, who has four participations to his name.

I'm eagerly awaiting the first Monument of the season, which marks my first main goal for spring. After the Belgian opening weekend, I trained for a week in Alicante under the guidance of my coach Frederik Veuchelen, which resulted in a productive period. The positive momentum continued during Tirreno-Adriatico, where I felt strong.

On the five days between Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-San Remo, I took the opportunity to carry out two recons with Frederik and Mike Teunissen of the final stretches, which included the Cipressa and the Poggio. This proved to be a valuable refresher, ensuring that every detail of the course is firmly etched in my memory. I am in great shape and fully prepared for the upcoming race.
I have confidence in the continued support of my six teammates and trust that they will work wholeheartedly to position me correctly at crucial moments. Recognizing that the top competitors, the same as last years, play a crucial role in determining when the final begins, I expect a similar scenario.

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