Biniam Girmay: "Let's try to achieve our first goal and that is to win one stage"

Biniam Girmay is part of a very diverse Intermarché - Wanty - Gobert Matériaux team, which is set to tackle the Giro d'Italia with high ambitions to take stage wins after a very successful classics campaign.

“For Africa, a big win would be the greatest moment ever. The first stage suits me right away," Girmay said in a recent interview with Wielerflits. The Eritrean rider is known for his climbing prowess, that can be very useful in the hilltop finish to Visegrád which is likely to end in a reduced bunch sprint. Girmay is, alongside Mathieu van der Poel and Caleb Ewan, the big favourite to take on the first pink jersey according to many.

After his win at Gent-Wevelgem, Girmay travelled back to his home country to recover and spend with his family before the Giro. With the preparation complete, the 22-year old is now ready for the second part of the season: “I now feel good to be here at the start. The Giro d'Italia is the next step in my development and that's what I've been focusing on for the past few weeks."

Besides a stage win, Girmay is also eyeing a possible win in the points classification. “Why shouldn't I go for the points classification after that? But first let's try to achieve our first goal and that is to win one stage. If I hunt for that, the points will come automatically. After that I can keep collecting points to see how far I get," he said. As for his main competitor for the jersey, Girmay has an unusual name pointed out: "But first let's try to achieve our first goal and that is to win one stage. If I hunt for that, the points will come automatically. After that I can keep collecting points to see how far I get."

“This is my first experience in such a long stage race. I've raced five or six days in a row, but never longer. So it remains to be seen how I will digest all this, but my intention is to bring the Giro d'Italia to a successful conclusion," he concluded.