Biniam Girmay discussion thread

[Earns1985]

Laporte isn’t a world class rider, he’s a top 10 rider in classics. Let’s not pretend MVDP was in great form at the Giro. Quebec was won by Cosnefroy.

I’m not saying Girmay is a bad rider, he’s a top 10 rider, but not a WVA/MVDP rider. And that’s why last year he was lucky that he got some wins, but normally he’ll ride a good result and compete for a win but won’t in most cases.

MVDP had been in great form at the giro 2022. It was the tour 2022 where he was totally out of form..

Laporte is one of the best classic riders after van der Poel, van Aert and perhaps Pogacar right now, so a win against him surely counts.

So Girmay definitely showed more last year than this year, the question is: Which season had been the outlier. This season or the last one?

 

[yaco]

MVDP had been in great form at the giro 2022. It was the tour 2022 where he was totally out of form..

Laporte is one of the best classic riders after van der Poel, van Aert and perhaps Pogacar right now, so a win against him surely counts.

So Girmay definitely showed more last year than this year, the question is: Which season had been the outlier. This season or the last one?

MVDP was not at his top level in the 2022 Giro.

 

[Kaptain Kool]

It's not like he won 10 races last year. 4 wins in 2022 vs 2 in 2023 isn't that huge. The 2 biggest wins were bigger than this year's biggest win but that happens. A poor 2nd half of 2023. That sometimes happens, too.

 

[YavorD]

If I remember correctly, pretty much everyone in Intermatché overperformed a bit (or a lot).
Maybe that's the explanation behind his performances this year.

 

[Anderis]

It's not like he won 10 races last year. 4 wins in 2022 vs 2 in 2023 isn't that huge. The 2 biggest wins were bigger than this year's biggest win but that happens.

Looking at wins only doesn't give you the whole picture.
2022: 1103 PCS points
2023: 459 PCS points so far

2022: 12th in MSR, 5th in E3, 1st in GW, 6th in Bretagne, 3rd in Quebec
2023: 28th in MSR and 38th in Quebec his best places in any WT classic

Especially the 2nd comparison gives you an idea of how much worse he's been this year. Last year he performed in classics all season long, this year he's failed to be there or thereabouts in a single WT classic.

 

[Rackham]

I agree it's been an underwhelming season for Girmay.

Intermaché brought in Mike Teunissen to be his leadout guy this year (he was Van Aert's guy at Jumbo before Laporte sort of took his place), but so far Teunissen actually has more PCS points than Girmay does.

But the whole team has underperformed compared to last season as well, so he's not an isolated case.

 

[Anderis]

But the whole team has underperformed compared to last season as well, so he's not an isolated case.

It's interesting because in January and February they looked the revelation of the season but that fizzled out pretty quickly as soon as the spring entered it's key phase.

 

[Squire]

But the whole team has underperformed compared to last season as well, so he's not an isolated case.

Have they really?

With the notable exceptions of Meintjes who crashed out of the Tour de France and only recently got back on the bike, and Girmay who is being discussed here, almost all of their riders have similar or better seasons compared to last year. Thijssen is much improved.

The main difference is that they have lost the massive production of Kristoff and the occasional brilliance of Quinten Hermans and Jan Hirt. And Pozzovivo for the Giro. In return they have gotten Costa who to be fair to him is having a banger of a season and Teunissen who only now is beginning to come alive. So the question is can you blame a team for underperforming when the decline in results is due to certain riders no longer being there?

 

[Roku]

Ghirmay has underperformed this season, compared to last year. His climbing is worse than last year, and he has often looked cooked when starting the sprint.

 

[Salvarani]

Not the first rider to have a break-out type of season, only to fail to live up to expecations in the season after.

He is only 23 years old.

He will hopefully bounce back next season.

 

[Roku]

Have they really?

With the notable exceptions of Meintjes who crashed out of the Tour de France and only recently got back on the bike, and Girmay who is being discussed here, almost all of their riders have similar or better seasons compared to last year. Thijssen is much improved.

The main difference is that they have lost the massive production of Kristoff and the occasional brilliance of Quinten Hermans and Jan Hirt. And Pozzovivo for the Giro. In return they have gotten Costa who to be fair to him is having a banger of a season and Teunissen who only now is beginning to come alive. So the question is can you blame a team for underperforming when the decline in results is due to certain riders no longer being there?

Agreed.

They have been hampered by illnesses and crashes on spring. Goosens has been ill since Romandie (which DNFed) only to come back for Vuelta and crashing out on the 4th stage. Meintjes missed out a Top10 at Tour due to crashing out (would have easily finished Top15 at Vuelta as well). Page was also hit by mononucleosis.

The only rider that has been underwhelming is Girmay. Teunissen has had his best season ever, except of course from his astonishing 2019. I think they have assigned a poorly program (in terms of race fit) to Herregodts. He could shine in races like Benelux, Wallonie and Tour of Belgium, instead they sent him to a lot of one week WT races with tons of climbing.

Next year there should be riders that progress further (Mihkels, Page, Marit, De Pooter, i hope Herregodts himself) + also Bussatto who is ready to start scoring top placings and wins right away in hilly one day races and semiclassics.

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Biniam starts his 2024 campaign in Australia, at the Tour Down Under. That is good, because now I have a rider to cheer for, at this race.

I hope Girmay scores his first win of the season, there. He should have good chances on one of the hillier, though fast, stages…

Good luck, friendly young man…

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Girmay had a good start to the season. Ranks 2, 3, 4 and 8 in the first four stages of the TDU. That is really good.

He‘s quite close to winning his first race of the year…

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Girmay had a good start to the season. Ranks 2, 3, 4 and 8 in the first four stages of the TDU. That is really good.

He‘s quite close to winning his first race of the year…

And strongly placed in the Amazing race to most top 10s without a win.

 

[DJ Sprtsch]

And now he won. Went past Viviani on the line.

https://x.com/Nora_isle/status/1750386729637568702?s=20

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Great!… Still January, now first win of 2024… Very, very nice! Biniam is on a good way to winning a spring classic…

Congratulations on a nice victory, today…

 

[Berniece]

Great!… Still January, now first win of 2024… Very, very nice! Biniam is on a good way to winning a spring classic…

Define spring classic? What falls under that category?

 

[Roku]

He's looking a bit better at the moment (clearly 2nd best sprinter at TDU), but it's not like opposition was very strong so far.

CEGORR will be a more interesting test to see if he survives the climbs and still has the power to sprint (as opposed to 2022, last year he was usually gassed at the sprints after a few climbs or a tough run-in)

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Define spring classic? What falls under that category?

One day race, held in March or April, ranked 1.1, 1.Pro, or 1.WT…

 

[Berniece]

One day race, held in March or April, ranked 1.1, 1.Pro, or 1.WT…

Then I can also see him win one of them I don't see him win E3, GW, RVV or PR though

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Then I can also see him win one of them I don't see him win E3, GW, RVV or PR though

Of course I hope he wins as big as possible, but would be glad already if he wins Dwars door Vlaanderen, or something like that…

 

[search]

A bit of an update on Bini from Belgian press today. Sounds like there were some issues with his (lack of) training load last year - this time Wanty has sent Taaramäe to Eritrea to have an eye on him .

(gt) “Girmay will now also train after Sunday mass”

Biniam Girmay (23) returns to Flanders. Where he surprised the cycling world in 2022 with his sensational victory in Ghent - Wevelgem. But also the place where he experienced his greatest disillusionment last year: almost last in Wevelgem, fall and abandonment in the Tour of Flanders. On Saturday, Girmay wants to rediscover his love for Flanders in the Omloop het Nieuwsblad. And the deeply religious rider is willing to do anything for that.

Aike Visbeek, performance manager of Intermarché - Wanty, can easily recall the image.“

It was after Ghent - Wevelgem last year. The race he had won a year earlier. Overwhelmed by the cold, it didn't work out at all. All the euphoria of a year earlier had turned into dull misery. I still see him that Monday morning sitting in the Expo hotel in Ghent. Biniam was very unhappy. Everyone in the breakfast room was looking at him, like a fish in an aquarium. We took him out of there that same day.”

2024 must be the year of Biniam Girmay's resurrection. At least, that's what they hope for his team Intermarché - Wanty. The Belgian team watched with sorrow as the Eritrean spring sensation of 2022 completely missed out on his previous spring. They all thought about how this could happen. Their conclusion?“

A sum of all kinds of things,” says Visbeek. “He was already battling an illness before Sanremo. Afterwards we had very bad weather in Flanders, which will never be his thing. And then he also fell in the Tour of Flanders.

”But the team looked for and found the biggest cause for his significant dip in what they today call “a too messy training approach”.

“Biniam constantly commutes between his home Eritrea, his European base San Marino and the races,” nods Visbeek. “Only: for every travel day you lose two to three good training days. I remember how he wanted to train for Tirreno - Adriatico in Italy. That was so messy. That didn't work at all. We learned from that.”

This year everything has to be tighter and stricter. Less time wasted, more balanced training, a more well-thought-out travel schedule. Reason why the team sent him to Australia in January - he immediately won a match.“

There he could compete and train in good weather, which was important for him. And from Australia he flew directly to Eritrea, where he has been able to train at high altitude at home in recent weeks. All very efficient.”

However, things sometimes went wrong there, in his home country, last year. Eritrea is not the most accessible country. Visbeek does not go so far as to say that the team will lose all control over Girmay as soon as he returns to his family.“

But we noticed that it did not go smoothly. A simple example: Biniam is an Orthodox Christian and goes to church on Sundays. But then he had a block of training daysand he completed it flawlessly in the first few days. Until it was Sunday. Suddenly he wasn't training. Oh no, Biniam would say. Sunday is a rest day for me. Then I have to be with my family. But if you do this six weeks in a row, you will lose six training days.”

“So we started discussing with him this winter. Was there anything that could be done about it? Ultimately you will find a compromise. Six hours of training on Sunday is still not an option, but from now on he will set aside a few hours to train between his church visit and lunch with his family. You do have these kinds of discussions with Biniam and you will never have with, say, Vito Braet or Dries De Pooter.

”Another problem: his training partners. Girmay likes to train with fellow countrymen in both San Marino and Eritrea. Genre: Amanuel Ghebreigzabhier from Lidl - Trek or his own brother Meweal Girmay, who have been working for the Development Team of Intermarché since this winter.

Visbeek again: “A good idea in theory, but it didn't work in practice. The problem is that Biniam is the only Eritrean who is fully aiming for Flemish work. The others were preparing for the Strade or stage races. That is a completely different tax. The same in Eritrea: he trains there with a group, many of whom are often not at his level. At first they can still follow him, but in the last two hours everyone has been unloaded and he always rides alone. Not conducive to the intensity of your training.”

That is why Intermarché Wanty introduced another innovation in recent weeks and sent someone with Girmay to Eritrea. Not a soigneur or mechanic – that remains difficult in closed Eritrea – but he does have a teammate, the Estonian Rein Taramaë.

“He has been doing altitude training in Rwanda for years and has a good reputation in Africa,” Visbeek explains. “And Biniam certainly has a connection with the Minister of Sports in Eritrea. That might be the case have helped. The fact is that Biniam had an extra training buddy with Rein in recent weeks. A real diesel. This increases the quality of the training. The latest reports from Africa were already positive.”

Girmay lands in Flanders again on Wednesday. Will it all be enough to immediately play a leading role on Saturday and Sunday - he starts in both the Omloop and Kuurne? Visbeek cautiously hopes so.“In any case, we already notice that the training courses are more systematic. Plus, Biniam automatically trains at altitude at home anyway. Last year he also went home after his fall and concussion in the Tour of Flanders. Upon his return, two months later in the Brussels Cycling Classic, he was immediately fourth. Biniam usually recovers immediately when he returns from Eritrea. Moreover, they predict warm weather for Saturday. A place in the top ten in the Omloop must be realistic.”
Source: https://pressreader.com/article/281943137809483

 

[SafeBet]

Thank you, enlightening article.
I presumed there were issues with his training last year since he often struggled in tougher and longer races compared to 2022.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Define spring classic? What falls under that category?

Sometimes, threads in which I hadn't even intended advertising the Spring Classics game just serve themselves up as an irresistible opportunity. They are the 1.WT and 1.Pro races from Omloop to Frantfurt.

 

[proffate]

As much as this forum hates him, it sounds like some Lefevere-style tough love needs to be applied to Biniam. On a tactical level, Quickstep would also be a lot better for Biniam than Wanty. Too bad he's locked in through 2026...