Dear all, thanks for all the messages and support. After today’s crash, I went to see a doctor. I have small injuries but everything is ok. I hope to see you all in Nice!
Biniam Girmay's dream Tour de France almost ends; Green jersey receives stitches after late fall on decisive sprint
CyclingWednesday, 17 July 2024 at 05:30
The 16th stage of the Tour de France 2024 brought setbacks for Biniam Girmay. The Eritrean rider, who had so far had an outstanding performance in the race, was involved in a crash in the last kilometers of the day, which prevented him from scoring points at the finish. Despite the blow, the Intermarché - Wanty leader showed courage to reach the finish line. He could've sealed the points classification today but ended the day with stitches and threat of ending his race.
The incident occurred at a critical moment in the final sprint, with numerous roundabouts complicating the terrain and increasing the tension among the competitors to position well. "There were a lot of roundabouts in the last ten kilometers and in one of them an EF Education-EasyPost rider suddenly came at me, I couldn't do anything," Girmay explained after the crash. This was Marijn van den Berg, who was also left out of the sprint as a result.
After receiving medical attention, Girmay gave an update on his physical condition: "My knee is swollen, as is my elbow. I also have some injuries. I hope it's nothing serious. I was able to ride my bike after the crash and I feel good both mentally and physically." Later on he shared a message on Twitter, reaffirming his will to reach Nice, and hopefully with a green jersey although Jasper Philipsen's victory today has made it a tougher mission.
For its part, the Intermarché - Wanty team later confirmed that no fractures were found in Girmay, although there were several bruises from the impact and also stitches received in an elbow. The quick medical response and the rider's positive reaction after the accident offer a glimmer of hope for the remaining stages of the Tour de France.
The incident also provoked reactions among other riders and teams. Axel Laurance of Alpecin-Deceuninck described the scene as "very intense" and expressed his hope that everyone involved is okay. Meanwhile, EF Education-EasyPost's Marijn van den Berg, who also fell in the same situation, suffered only minor abrasions and will be able to continue in the race, his team confirmed.
The Tour de France continues with its exciting stages, keeping uncertainty over who will win the final victory and the coveted green points jersey. Stage 18, with a few hills and intermediate sprint present, should be key for the outcome of this classification where Girmay has a chance of making history.
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- Wrong, CrashJames. Frankie a ringleader of the Motorola doping scheme along with Armstrong. Armstrong made his career. And Lemond--you are still clinging to his miracle of "iron injections"? Bless your heart.
MarkFour25-11-2024 - Wrong. Bassons himself said that leaving pro cycling was the best thing that ever happened to him. You don't belong in these comments, or anywhere near a bike.MarkFour25-11-2024
- Agree, it is incomplete to omit the doped peloton. Lance was just better at it, a bigger liar, and vindictively went after people to protect the secret. Look how many results had to be restated, where other riders were also stripped of their results, and the problems ex us postal riders faced because their doping programs were not as good as postal. Why we continue to spend any time on this a$$h0le is beyond me.Crashjames25-11-2024
- Frankie Andrew, Greg lemond,Crashjames25-11-2024
- Christophe Bassons is one of many names. If you don’t that story, you don’t belong in these comments.PhilRidesBikes25-11-2024
- Not all riders in the peloton were using drugs, or using them to the same degree. Plenty of books published from cyclists saying they didn’t all get access to the same stuff whether they wanted it or not. Christophe Basons is just one of many who were outcast for not joining the program. Many new young riders were sent home if they didn’t abide by Lances rules. Andy Hampsten is another clean rider who refused to dope.PhilRidesBikes25-11-2024
- Lance lied, cheated, & destroyed lives during his entire cycling career. He claimed to enter the sport as a clean athlete, but there is evidence was already well into using banned substances as a triathlete. Lance is still lying about his use of banned substances & blood transfusions during his return to competition with Astana team.PhilRidesBikes25-11-2024
- I still can't believe how her teammates treated her that day. Her teammate literally sideswiped her and took her out and then after the race, the teammate claimed that she saw something yellow fall but she kept riding because she was going for the stage win (but finished 8th in the sprint). What the actual heck...Pogboom25-11-2024
- Many other drugs cheats also had no empathy.awp25-11-2024
- See if you can name one person whose career Lance Armstrong destroyed. Just one.MarkFour25-11-2024