"Biniam is reasonably aware of how fast he is, but we don't want to make too big a story of it yet" - Aike Visbeek
Cycling
Intermarché - Circus - Wanty are not one of the teams that come into the Tour de France in the spotlight the most, however with Biniam Girmay on their lineup that may come to be. The Eritrean is making his debut at the Grand Boucle and is expected to be one of the most popular at the stage starts and finishes.
“We don't want any stress with Louis [Meintjes]. We did that in 2021, by gathering men around him. We have to trust that Louis can make up time in the mountain stages. We have our own tactics in that, which may not be the prettiest tactic," Aike Visbeek, performance manager at Intermarché - Circus - Wanty, told In de Leiderstrui. "When it gets more difficult, it automatically moves forward. Those twenty or thirty seconds he might lose don't matter at the end.”
Whilst Meintjes, who rode to a strong seventh place last year, will aim for the overall classification, the rest of the team get their freedom to chase stage wins. "You can combine the hunt for the top ten with the hunt for a stage victory, that's what we do. Last year we were constantly on the attack in the last week, so those two goals also come together."
But on the flat days, the team will be working towards the ambitions of Girmay, who has recently won a stage at the Tour de Suisse. After a breakthrough Giro d'Italia last year where he outsprinted Mathieu van der Poel to a spectacular win, he aims towards France this year, and has the form necessary to grab a win which could make the race for the Belgian team.
“We were also pleasantly surprised that his condition was already so good. Biniam is also still young, at that age you always have that little bit more real speed. However, we are still not done with that journey of discovery," Visbeek says. "If you look at his sprints in last year's Giro, you can see that he consistently finished in the top five, with no lead-out. Now he does have it."
The main cog in that wheel will be Mike Teunissen, who was signed from Jumbo-Visma to have this roll, and has been doing so quite well. "They have a lot of trust in each other. Mike is someone who communicates well, remains calm and has an overview. That's also what Bini needs, someone who stays calm and makes space. In the spring they both had bad luck, but we have been working on it for some time. We would have preferred to be able to practice it more often, but that was not to be the case."
Alongside the duo, Adrien Petit and Dion Smith will be providing more support in the flat finishes. Girmay could also perform on some of the hilly days, taking into consideration his palmarès. "Biniam is reasonably aware of how fast he is, but we don't want to make too big a story of it yet."
"All in all, we know that he can handle a good sprint for a long time, but all in all he doesn't really know what he can do. We won't be surprised if he suddenly joins the front in a stage through the middle mountains. He wants to experience it, he wants to show himself," Visbeek concluded.
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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Biniam Girmay races his first Tour de France with number 1⃣1⃣1⃣ 📸 @cyclingmedia_ag
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