“What made me happy today is that I managed to show that I am here in the Tour de France to win a stage. And even more importantly, that I reached the finish line safely. In dangerous sprints like today it is important that everyone respects the rules and sprints in a straight line. I really felt in danger when I hit the barriers with my foot. It could have ended in a nightmare for me and all riders behind. Anyway, I am proud to take my first podium in my first ever Tour de France. It shows that my condition is growing. Dion Smith and the rest of the team did a fantastic job in the final kilometers. Collectively we are becoming stronger day by day, so I’m confident for tomorrow. With the harder profile we expect a smaller group to sprint for the victory and that’s what I prefer.”
Biniam Girmay Tweet
"With the sports directors we watched the sprint several times after the race. I went to the jury because in our opinion the sprint of Philipsen was not correct. He did not sprint in a straight line and dangerously moved to the right. In consequence, Biniam was pushed towards the barriers and luckily, he could avoid a crash. The jury did not agree with our vision. It is a pity, because we are convinced that the security is the highest priority for the whole peloton. Luckily, nobody crashed. But if Biniam did crash, the movement of Jasper Philipsen would undoubtedly have been qualified as a dangerous move."
Jean-François Bourlart (CEO) Tweet