27/12/2022

Biniam Girmay "has really noticed that we stick to our agreements and that we really want to make him better", Aike Visbeek says

Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert remained one of the best WorldTeam of 2022. The credit for this feat goes to team performance manager Aike Visbeek.

Talking to WielerFlits, he shared how this season went for him. "Sport-wise, it was an incredibly successful season, only on a personal level it was an eventful year," said Visbeek. The team is fifth in WorldTour, ranking only behind Jumbo-Visma, UAE Emirates, INEOS Grenadiers and BORA-Hansgrohe.

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This was even surprising for Visbeek. “How is that possible? Across the board, we have progressed faster than we estimated beforehand. Actually, you can push it back even further. I don't think anyone would have believed two years ago that we wouldn't be relegated. As a team, we really delivered a very nice performance, a year that holds a special place," shares Visbeek.

Biniam Girmay played a crucial role in the team’s upliftment this year."I think it is 100% to the credit of how we have dealt with him over the last year. We work well together. It's not easy for Bini to trust just anyone. He has really noticed that we stick to our agreements and that we really want to make him better. That he has good riders around him and that he is one of the guys,” explained Visbeek.

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Alexander Kristoff was another rider who helped the team climb the ladder of rankings. However, he won’t be riding for the team next season. “He performed very well in 2022. Those are the guys who have really taken a huge step,” described Visbeek.

Visbeek looks back on the case of Quinten Hermans and Jan Bakelants. "In both cases, I still think we made the right decision, but we - I am not the only one making decisions - do regret the timing of our communication. That has been inhumanly bad. It's just not right. There are reasons why that dragged on, though. In Quinten's case, we made a good decision. “

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He further adds, “That's a situation we wouldn't like to have again. Everything about that situation was extreme. The whole cross affair last winter, a whole saga with changing managers, then a very long negotiation period resulting in a lot of turmoil, emotion and misunderstanding when a decision was then made.”

While it was a great year for the team, Visbeek had his personal challenges. On a personal level, I had a situation with my father, who eventually passed away. That was a very difficult phase for me. Earlier in the year, we also lost a family friend. Four weeks before the Tour, my eldest son's best friend committed suicide, coincidentally also the period when the bomb with Quinten burst. That had its impact because, suddenly, a lot was happening. Personally, for me, it was a year with huge highs, but also with very difficult phases,” concluded Visbeek.