This Sunday 26th of May, a united team around Biniam Girmay propelled the Eritrean rider onto the podium of Rund um Köln, after a hilly 194-kilometer course which traditionally favours sprinters.
For several hours, Tom Paquot controlled the gap to the early breakaway of eight riders until the second half of the race, where attacks began in the heights around Bergisch Gladbach.
Attacks in which Biniam Girmay and Hugo Page participated, before a regrouping 40 kilometers from the finish. The Walloon team then gathered around Girmay in anticipation of a group finish, still chasing the leading trio.
The exemplary teamwork continued with Vito Braet and Baptiste Planckaert, who brought back the last escapees, and finally Mike Teunissen and Hugo Page made sure to position Biniam Girmay excellently to start his sprint. The 24-year-old Eritrean rider, who was only defeated by Casper Van Uden, achieved his fifth podium of the season.
“The teamwork was perfect today in Rund um Köln. We controlled the race from the start, attacked in the run-up to the final and finally my teammates also did a textbook lead out. I had excellent legs and the entire race went according to plan, but unfortunately I launched my sprint a little too late to be able to react to Casper van Uden who came from behind with high speed. It's nice to finish on the podium of a classic again. I enjoy this kind of open races in which I can I did in the Antwerp Port Epic or the third stage of the Giro. I hope for a similar scenario in my next two races, the Circuit Franco-Belge and the Brussels Cycling Classic. In these important appointments for the team, we want to show ourselves again as a block.”
