The 26 year old German climber, who joined the Walloon World Team in 2021, extended his contract with two more years and will stay with the structure of Jean-François Bourlart until at least the end of 2026.
Since his arrival within Intermarché-Wanty, Georg Zimmermann never ceased to show progression and to showcase himself as an attacker, achieving his first pro victory in the 2021 Tour de l’Ain and his first success at World Tour level from the early breakaway on top of Crest-Voland in the 2023 Critérium du Dauphiné.
He was selected for the Tour de France three years in a row and last July he finished close to a victory in the tenth stage in Issoire, where he was only defeated by Pello Bilbao. In the mountains his work was also very valuable for Louis Meintjes who finished seventh in ‘La Grande Boucle’ in 2022. These performances led to a third consecutive selection for the Elite world Championships, this time in the role of leader of the German Mannschaft in Wollongong .
The resident of Augsburg also regularly shone on home soil. He crowned himself the best young rider of the Tour of Germany two years in a row and was the bronze medalist of the national championship in 2021, almost vanquishing BORA-Hansgrohe’s numerical superiority.
This season, Zimmermann achieved his first podium in a World Tour one day race with a third place in the Cadel Evans Road Race in January in Australia, before discovering the Flemish spring classics for the first time in his career.
This Wednesday 1st May, he will be at the start of the classic Eschborn-Frankfurt (1.WT) for the fourth year in a row, his first race of the season on German soil. Last year (7th), he was part of a strong breakaway in the final with Lorenzo Rota (5th), which managed to stay ahead of the peloton with the sprinters for the first time in more than ten years.
An identical course of 201 kilometer around the metropole awaits them on Wednesday, with a double ascent of the Feldberg (8km at 5.9%) and a triple passage of Mammolshein (2.3km at 8%). The selection led by Pieter Vanspeybrouck and Sébastien Demarbaix also includes Kobe Goossens, Gerben Kuypers, Laurenz Rex, Mike Teunissen and Gijs Van Hoecke.
“Joining Intermarché-Wanty in 2021 has been the best choice for my career. This structure invests a lot in the development of young riders. The professional way of working is qualitative in all areas, but if I have to mention the factors that played the most important role in my development, I would say the coaching and the annual plans, which enable us to prepare for our goals in the best possible way. This allowed me to achieve my first World Tour victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné and experience other unforgettable moments. Performances like these changed my status in the peloton, but never inspired me to change environment. I feel happy within Intermarché-Wanty, I know that in this team I can exploit my potential and keep showing the best of myself in the coming years." “I'm really looking forward to Eschborn-Frankfurt this Wednesday for my first race on home soil this season. I hope to return to my level from my season start in Australia, because to be honest, I secretly expected a little more from my first time in the Flemish classics. Then, just like the past three seasons, I will join the team in Andorra for altitude training towards the Critérium du Dauphiné and the national championship. This season is particularly special because 2024 is an Olympic year. One of my big goals is to become one of the two riders who will represent the colors of the German national team in Paris this summer."
“Georg Zimmermann has regularly made the colours of Intermarché-Wanty shine since his arrival. I'm especially thinking of last summer, with his fantastic stage victory in the Critérium du Dauphiné, followed a few weeks later by a second place in the tenth stage of the Tour de France. Two wonderful results from breakaway in which he demonstrated his strong character and will to win. His victory on top of Crest-Voland was all the more impressive because dozens of the team partners were waiting at the finish line. Being able to finish it off at important moments for the team like he did, that's something quite special. His excellent start of the season in Australia definitively confirmed his progress. Georg is one of the talents we supported in their development and who attach importance to taking responsibilities and and playing their own cards. With Intermarché-Wanty he receives the opportunity to use his big engine in one week stage races and his favourite classics, in addition to a role as a free electron in the grand tours. He has the ability to win a stage, he was already close in the Tour last summer. This remains our ambition with Georg. Also, he is always willing to put himself at the service of his leaders. That is why he is of great value in our Tour de France selections. For all these reasons, we are delighted that Georg will continue his career with Intermarché-Wanty, where we will keep experiencing wonderful moments together. »
