"He will be beaten" - Intermarché-Circus-Wanty DS retains hope that Girmay can take victory ahead of dominant Philipsen

So far in the bunch sprints at the 2023 Tour de France, Jasper Philipsen has been utterly dominant, taking four stage wins. That leaves the rest of the sprinters, including Intermarché-Circus-Wanty's Biniam Girmay still in search of victory.

"It's Biniam Girmay's first Tour de France and I think he's already had a good Tour," insists the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty sports director, Laurenzo Lapag in an interview with Cyclism'Actu. "Sprints like the one today (stage 11), it's not really made for him. He can make a place of honour, but it's really not easy for him to win."

As the Tour de France travels towards the Alps in the coming days, the sprinters will switch their attention to surviving and preserving energy. Following that though, there will be more opportunities in the final week. Intermarché-Circus-Wanty remain confident in Girmay's chances.

"Paris is still far away, you have to be patient and take it step by step," continues Lapag before referencing the dominance of Philipsen. "You have to say he's the fastest in the peloton and you also have to salute the way his teammates have led him. When the leader is good and he wins races, the team becomes better. Afterwards, he will be beaten one day, that's how sprinting is."