Girmay targets return to winning ways at Ronde van Limburg after promising Roubaix debut: "We must have the ambition to win"
Cycling
After a steady but unspectacular classics campaign, Biniam
Girmay will look to reignite his season this Wednesday at the Ronde van
Limburg. The Intermarché–Wanty rider, who last tasted victory at the 2024 Tour
de France where he secured the green jersey, but there’s cautious optimism
within his camp that things could change in Limburg.
Girmay made his debut at Paris-Roubaix just days ago,
finishing an impressive 15th in one of cycling’s most brutal races. While not
quite a breakthrough, it was a reminder of the 25-year-old’s capabilities,
especially considering how disrupted his spring campaign has been so far.
But not for bad reasons!
Back in February, Girmay was granted permission to travel
home to Eritrea to be with his wife and newborn child. The trip meant he missed
both Opening Weekend and Tirreno-Adriatico, losing vital race days at a key
point in the season. Still, it was a much more wholesome reason to miss races, and
at least he had avoided any crashes. Upon his return to Europe, he struggled to
find consistent form and ended the spring without a single top-five finish.
Intermarché – Wanty’s Head of Performance, Aike Visbeek,
explained to Wielerflits the reasoning behind the late additions to Girmay’s
calendar, including his Roubaix debut and this week’s Ronde van Limburg.
“Due to the cancellation of those competition days, we
decided then to add not only Paris-Roubaix, but also the Tour of Limburg and
the Brabantse Pijl to his racing program. Otherwise, his peak in form would
have been very short.”
The team is setting its sights high for Limburg, but with a
degree of caution, given the wear and tear that comes from Roubaix's
unforgiving pavé. Fortunately, Girmay stayed clear of trouble, but that doesn’t
mean his body won’t still be suffering from the race they call Hell.
"With Biniam, we must have the ambition to win.
However, he has just ridden Paris-Roubaix for the first time in his career and
we still have to wait and see how he has recovered. He has come through the
race well and normally his recovery is his strong point. That makes me
cautiously optimistic for Wednesday."
Girmay has shown flashes of form this season, most notably
at the Volta ao Algarve and Gent–Wevelgem, but his overall performance in
sprints has lacked the sharpness that defined his standout 2024.
“If we want to be critical, we have to conclude that his
sprints and positioning were not up to par. He only came out well in the Tour
of the Algarve and Gent-Wevelgem, in the other races he often lacked the
sharpness that he had in the Tour. That is why he missed out on a few good
results. That really has to improve now.”
Visbeek acknowledges, however, that sprint finishes in the
spring classics don’t always follow a script, and believes Girmay’s best
opportunities still lie ahead as the team builds toward the Tour de France.
Remember, this year’s Tour is stacked full of sprinters. Not
only will Girmay have to defend his green jersey against the 2023 winner Jasper
Philipsen, but also against Jonathan Milan and Tim Merlier. There is no doubt
that so far in 2025 Milan and Merlier have shown more speed than both Girmay
and Philipsen.
Still, Girmay’s team feels positive that they have time to
fine tune their form in the coming months.
“On the other hand, the classics often produce strange
sprints. You have fewer riders and a more tired peloton. In the coming months,
we will see Bini working much more in the real mass sprints towards the Tour.
In that respect, the Tour of Limburg is a great opportunity to regain the
confidence that he can do it. He should be able to sprint completely freely
again.”
Fin MajorCycling Journalist
Fin Major is a UK-based writer at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2024. He is the site’s main writer for FAQs and evergreen explainers and has written around 2,000 pieces for the platform. Alongside this work, he focuses on in-depth analysis and covers the biggest races on the calendar, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, providing clear context around performance trends, tactics, and key storylines.
In his reporting, Fin uses reputable data sources such as ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available. Outside of writing, Fin is an active cyclist, which supports his practical understanding of the sport and its demands.
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