With two stage victories to his name and his green jersey, Biniam Girmay once again made a name for himself on the white roads of the Tour de France, on the eve of the rest day.
The Eritrean rider was one of the few sprinters to survive the skimming effect that gradually thinned the peloton in the non-asphalted sectors, of which there were fourteen on this 200-kilometer stage around Troyes.
Behind the eight-rider breakaway that contested the stage win, Girmay went on the offensive in a counter-attack alongside six riders, including world champion Mathieu van der Poel, Michael Matthews and Rui Costa.
Despite multiple accelerations in the peloton between the favourites for the overall classification, Biniam Girmay’s counter was able to sprint for ninth place, won in a sprint by the green jersey. Hugo Page and Mike Teunissen, present in the yellow jersey group just behind, made it into the stage’s top 20.
As the Tour de France enters its first rest day in Orleans, Biniam Girmay increases his lead in the points classification to 224 units, 96 more than nearest rival Jasper Philipsen.
Biniam Girmay: “I’m proud of my performance on this demanding, special parcours. I went on the attack in the final because I wanted to do well in the points classification, and I did. At first, I had fun on these white roads, but I suffered in the last hour of the race. The rest day came at just the right time. We finish the first week of the Tour de France with two stage wins and the green jersey, which is the dream scenario. That’s because since the start in Florence, I’ve been at my best mentally and physically. My victory in the third stage gave me and my team-mates a huge confidence boost.”
Points classification :
1. Biniam Girmay: 224 points
2. Jasper Philipsen: 128 points
3. Jonas Abrahamsen: 107 points
