Saturday, July 6, 2024 at 5:49 PM
Biniam Girmay has dedicated his second ever Tour de France stage win to his mother and father. The Intermarché-Wanty leader was faster than Jasper Philipsen and Arnaud De Lie on an uphill finish in the eighth stage to Colombey-les-Deux-Églises. “I don’t know what to say following my second win. I want to thank the team for everything,” he responded. Bini in an initial response.
“I want to dedicate this victory to my mother and my father. They believed in me and gave me all the support to become a cyclist and a professional. I want to thank my family, I am very proud”, said Girmay followingwards. The ascending finish suited him like a glove. “That is also why I won”, he laughs. “I prefer these kinds of sprints. When it is really flat, the other riders are bigger. They can then pedal more watts, but this is very nice. I was in the perfect wheel and got a good lead out.”
It was a soaking wet day and Girmay noticed that early in the stage. “I didn’t feel super good because of the weather, but then I got through it and felt great. I rode my best sprint,” he reflects. “The run-up to the final went very quickly. I might already feel my legs there, because there was a headwind. Our lead-out started there 1 kilometer from the finish. I felt my legs explode there, but I knew that the rest would do the same. I knew then that it was going to be my day.”
“I also have to thank Cofidis for their lead out,” he jokes. “And then it was a nice fight with Philipsen, and I won. I am proud to win here in the green jersey. That doesn’t happen very often. My first goal was to win a stage, and now to win in the green jersey. I am almost out of dreams. If this continues until Nice, even if I don’t win once more, then I will be very happy.”
photo: Cor Vos
